Fighting to Get Your Attention
by alistairvt
Summary: In the three years after the ceremonial battle, Yugi has left Domino to travel the world to study leaving his family, his friends, and his yami back in Domino. When Yugi comes back, his friends discover a new Yugi. Getting to know his light again, Yami realizes a deep longing for the hikari and wants to win his heart, but he's not the only one who has their eyes set on Yugi.
1. Missing You

Faint yellow streaks of the morning sun peeked through Yami's dark blue curtains and forcing him to wake up. His eyes closed, his face scrunched up, and his body moving away from the glaring morning light as he is reluctantly pulled away from the land of dreams. The movement did nothing to put him back to sleep, so he finally succumbed to his wakefulness and opened his eyes slowly. He groaned and did his best to go back under the covers to shield his body away from the cold temperature. It was winter after all.

At the sound of grandpa Solomon ordering him to get up for breakfast, he finally sat up from his bed and looked at his clock to check the date.

December 24 2015.

The year on the clock made his heart drop.

It's been two, almost three, years now and the lump on his throat was still there, the tears in his eyes were forming and ready to fall, but he bit them all back. He really needed to buy a new clock, an analog one that didn't show the date.

He padded down the stairs and gave grandpa a soft morning greeting before taking his usual seat at the dining table. He looked at his breakfast, it was pancakes. As the two males went into an easy conversation over breakfast, the former spirit of the Millennium Puzzle couldn't help but notice grandpa's sad eyes. He knew those eyes well since he sees it everyday for two, almost three, years now. After, breakfast, Yami took their dirtied plates and started to clean them while grandpa went down to open the shop.

Now that no one else was in the room again, it was then that Yami let his mind wander towards _him_.

His light.

His saviour.

 _Yugi._

He couldn't help but feel his heart break a little at the thought that he hasn't seen Yugi in such a long time. It pained him to know that he couldn't even reach him through their mind link anymore. After the Ceremonial Duel, Yugi won, proving that the light can now move on without his darkness. Instead of leaving for the afterlife, the Pharaoh, now legally named Yami Atemu, had decided to stay in the land of the living to live a new life since his previous one had ended too quickly. Everyone was happy for his decision. His decision also gave Bakura and Marik a second chance at life and they gladly took it to be with their lights Ryou and Malik.

Life was good and peaceful. Yami had been offered a place to stay in the Mutou household which he was grateful and he even enrolled in Domino High to be with his friends. After a few months, he and Tea had started seeing each other often, until a month before they graduated high school, they announced that they were exclusively dating. It was also on the day of their announcement that Yugi had his own good news to announce to the group. News Yami wished he never heard ever.

Yugi had announced that since he was the valedictorian, he was offered to be a part of a special group who will be travelling and learning around the world, and he had accepted. At first, the whole gang was at awe at the amazing opportunity. Even Tea was jealous since her dreams of going to a dance school in New York was shot to hell. She was now taking performing arts in Domino University as a substitute to her dream while taking ballet lessons on the side. When the whole shock of Yugi's opportunity subsided, everyone had a bout of depression knowing that they wouldn't see Yugi for a long time. But the small duelist had reassured them that he'd be back before they knew it.

" _Six months will be gone in a blink of an eye, guys. And I'll be back here in Domino with you again."_

Those were his words. He repeated them to Yami as well when they were both in Yugi's room while he was packing his bags for the long trip a week after graduation. Yami wanted to beg his light to stay by his side, he couldn't protect him if he was miles away afterall. He even tried to reach out to Yugi through their mind link so he could show how much he was going to miss the light, but ever since that day of Yugi's announcement, Yami couldn't reach him through the link. It was like Yugi had shut him out. He asked Yugi about it but the amethyst-eyed male just shrugged.

" _Maybe it's slowly fading away now that we're not sharing a body. Natural progression, I guess."_

Yami didn't want to believe it. During the first few weeks after the Ceremonial Duel, he and Yugi had tested how strong the link was. Yami went to Egypt to visit Marik and Malik while Yugi stayed in Japan, and they could still hear each other from their mind link perfectly. After Yugi had left, Yami went to Ryou and Bakura to ask if their link was fine, and the two said that nothing was wrong with theirs. Even Marik and Malik's was fine. So why not his and Yugi's?

He eventually dropped the whole thing when Tea told him that maybe it was Yugi's way of saying that he didn't want Yami to know how hard it was for him to leave. Or that Yami's thoughts might make Yugi second guess himself with going to the trip. So for six months, he waited for his light to return.

But it was on the fifth month that he eventually got a message from Yugi that said otherwise.

Yugi had decided to extend his lessons to a year, saying he enjoyed it so much, and he was offered to extend by the professor. Yami and grandpa had asked if he was coming back during the holidays but Yugi, again, didn't promise anything. He only said that he would try. Yami asked if Yugi could send him emails daily, again, the male didn't promise anything. When the gang had tried to surprise him by having Seto track him down, they didn't even catch a glimpse of his shadow. They went to Brazil and searched for Yugi everywhere, but only to be notified when they got back to Japan that Yugi was in Greece. They tried to catch him again, but he was in Ireland when they went to Australia. Eventually, they just stopped bothering and waited for him to come back.

After a year, the only reminder they had that Yugi was still alive and well was the presents they received during Christmas, their birthdays, and some eventual souvenirs he would send when he felt like it. All coming from different parts of the world. Only grandpa had a letter every time and it hurt Yami that Yugi wouldn't leave him a letter. He only got a little card in Yugi's handwriting saying:

 _To Yami._

 _This made me think of you._

 _From Yugi._

As annoying and emotionless as those cards were, he kept them in his wallet at all times along with the only picture of the two of them together. Reminders that Yugi was still thinking of him despite their distance. They were hidden in a secret compartment in his wallet that even his girlfriend didn't know about. Tea was the jealous type and the first time she saw that picture of the two tricolor-haired males was also the first time she and Yami fought. So Yami asked Bakura to alter his wallet so Tea could never see the photo.

After washing the dishes and cleaning up the house, Yami took a bath and dressed up to brave the snow outside so he could do some last minute grocery shopping before Christmas. He put on his turtleneck and a big thick black jacket Yugi had gotten him during that first Christmas he was away and his winter boots. The jacket had been his favorite and no one, not even Tea, could buy him one that he would prefer over it. He went down to the shop to check on grandpa if he needed any last minute items but the old man just shook his head. As Yami was about to leave, grandpa called him again.

"Seto called, he said to come by the mansion today to pick up Yugi's gifts," he said with a sad smile.

Yami's heart soared. He wished that this time, Yugi would leave a letter for him telling him of his travels, his adventures, his problems, anything. He already considered it wishing too much to even ask Yugi to write to him telling him that Yugi misses him.

Once the former spirit was outside, he was greeted by Joey and Mokuba.

"Hey, Pharaoh!" the blonde greeted. "Let's go to the mansion first and pick up Yugi's presents before we go grocery shopping."

"Hi, Yami," Mokuba waved his hand. "Seto's in the office doing some last minute work before Kaiba corp building closes for the holidays," he explained as they got in the limo.

"Yeah, the guy's overworking himself to an early grave, if you ask me," Joey commented.

"Well, he is taking it easy ever since you came along," Yami replied with a smirk.

During their senior year in high school, Joey and Seto had confessed that they like each other and had started dating. All those times they've been fighting and insulting each other were apparently them denying that they like each other. It was actually Yugi who talked to them separately and coerced them to eventually tell the other that they liked them. And now, they've been together for three years and they are still going strong.

"So, how are you and Tea? Is she still nagging you about not going to a 'normal' college?" Joey asked using airquotes.

Yami pouted. Tea, since they started dating, had slowly turned into a whole different person. She always told Yami to act a certain way, dress a certain way, and when he does something she doesn't approve of, she would scold him for it. The former Pharaoh was taken aback by it at first but whenever he would argue his case and eventually leave Tea's house out of anger, the girl would run out to him and apologize then promise to do better. Yami is almost at his wit's end with her but of course, he still waited the girl hand and foot. It is what was expected of him as her boyfriend, or so they say.

Then came the issue of Yami deciding on helping grandpa run the game shop instead of going to college. Of course, grandpa had been against it, but Yami argued that Solomon was already old and in need of assistance in the shop. While they could easily just hire help, Yami had insisted that he would volunteer instead. He even promised to go to college online. With help from Seto, Yami was currently taking online courses for a business degree. Tea had nagged Yami to "take college like a normal person" constantly since he enrolled. Yami had eventually put his foot down and told her that grandpa was his first priority. It was his silent promise to Yugi while the male was still out exploring the world. But Tea didn't need to know that tidbit.

"The topic has been dropped til further notice," Yami eventually replied.

"Oh. Well, you guys will work it out," Joey replied with a smile. But deep inside, the blond knew it was only a matter of time before everything just exploded between Yami and Tea and the two would separate. With a sigh, he started a new conversation, particularly about the packages that were waiting for them at the mansion.

Joey had been excited when they arrived at the mansion earlier this morning. All of the packages were from different parts of the world, as usual. Based from one of the letters grandpa received from Yugi, the male was currently getting paid to travel across the globe and learn. He was currently taking international studies and was working as an interpreter depending on which country he was currently in. And, much to grandpa's dismay, Yugi had taken to playing games to gamble for more cash, something grandpa can't believe he had passed on to his grandson. Seto was impressed, he had been tracking down Yugi to offer him a job as his own interpreter for business deals if that would mean that the smaller duelist would come home. But Yugi had declined, saying he still had some parts of the world he wanted to see. And no matter how many times Seto would add zeroes to his paycheck, it wouldn't be enough for him to come back. They were just going to have to wait for him to come back.

The packages looked like they came from Europe. Joey always got three big bags of junk food and candies from all around the globe and a small trinket as a keepsake. Seto usually got an envelope filled with background checks of people the CEO might deal with in the business world. And Seto was impressed by the extensive research Yugi would send him and they had saved him on more than one occasion so he was very grateful. It was a weird thing to give as a gift but as Seto said, he actually consider them gifts and he didn't mind. He actually preferred Yugi gave him those instead of some novelty item that will collect dust in his office. Mokuba always enjoyed his gifts from Yugi. He always got the weird toys and puzzles Yugi would find in his travels and Mokuba has yet to solve half of them. This year was no different since Joey found yet another set of bags filled with chips, snacks, candies, and chocolates with different labels on them. A note was always attached to them reassuring Joey that they were actually good. Yugi has a sweet tooth that Joey trusts.

They arrived at the mansion and Joey led them to the main sitting room where the giant Christmas tree was. The sitting room was decked out with blue and white shiny Christmas decorations. But the decorations paled in comparison to the tree at south wall of the room. Like Kaiba's ego, the tree was big and demanded attention. Silver tinsel and blue and pearly white christmas ornaments dressed the tree and a soft white glow came off from it thanks to the Christmas lights surrounding it. Instead of a star on top, it looks like Seto has had a custom-made topper, three white dragons that looked to be flying around each other and it also had a soft white glow around them. There were brown boxes everywhere around the tree along with boxes, obviously they were Yugi's gifts, and there were also gifts wrapped in colorful wrapping paper. Yami and grandpa already gave sent their gifts to Joey and the Kaiba brothers and the former pharaoh couldn't help but smirk at the boxes he had asked grandpa to wrap for him. He can't wrap a decent present to save his life.

"Nice tree topper. Seto still has a thing for dragons, I see," Yami joked as he stared at the ornament perched at the very top of the seven-foot tree.

Mokuba bounced to the former-spirit's side. "That's my and Joey's early Christmas present for him," he replied smugly. "Joey thought of it and we searched everywhere for a shop to do it."

Joey shook his head with an amused smirk. He wasn't even going to deny his boyfriend's "fondness" over dragons. "It was perfect. And suits him too." He walked over to the tree and looked at the tags of the boxes looking for Yami's and grandpa's gifts. He was mostly looking for grandpa's since Joey knew, the biggest brown box was actually for Yami. "Here you go, Yami," Joey handed him the biggest brown box. It may have been big but it was also light. When the package came in last night, he tried to shake it to figure out what was inside, but he could only feel a soft bumpy movement inside. "This one's yours." He then bent over to get another gift which was a smaller brown box. "This is for gramps. Do you want to pick up Tea's?"

"No, she said she'll get them on Christmas when we meet here in the mansion."

Joey nodded, not wanting to ask more. At first, he thought that maybe it was because he was in his honeymoon phase with Seto that's why he rarely saw Tea, but really, the brunette had rarely hung out with them now. Sometimes she took Yami with her on their dates. It was a miracle that Joey was even able to see Yami this often for which he was grateful. He only ever admitted this to Seto, he liked seeing Yami since he was the only thing tied to his best friend, Yugi. It was because of Joey missing Yugi so much that Seto started tracking the amethyst-eyed male. But for some reason, no matter how hard they try to reach him, they were always five steps behind. The CEO had taken to just hiring a headhunter to deliver his job offers to the smaller duelist, a rouse to get him to come back home.

"Oh well, I heard she's cooking for a lot of people for Christmas Eve this year so she might be busy. At least you guys will be here on Christmas for the party. I'm glad she agreed to go."

As if on cue, Yami's phone suddenly rang. It was Tea.

"Hey, Tea," the pharaoh greeted.

"Yami, where are you?" her voice was accusing and it took a lot from Yami not to retort.

"I'm with Joey right now, I told you yesterday remember?" They continued walking towards the car and at the sound of the car door closing, Tea spoke again.

"Are you in a car? I thought you're with Joey?" Yami could hear the annoyance in her voice.

Joey jumped when he heard his phone ring. He picked it up and heard Duke's voice. "Hey, Joey. Where you at?"

"Hey, Duke. I'm with Yami and we're in the car on our way to the grocery to help him buy some last minute grocery shopping before places close for Christmas. Why?"

"Nothing, just checking," Duke replied casually.

"Checking what?" Joey asked.

Yami scowled as he heard Joey's conversation. Though, he shouldn't exactly be surprised since this was not the first time Tea had done this. "Are you having Duke check up on me?"

At that, Joey hung up the phone not wanting to be a part of this argument.

"I was just double checking, Yami," Tea replied haughtily.

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Yami leaned his head back trying to calm himself. "Tea, I picked up my and grandpa's gifts from Yugi and Joey is going to help me pick up some last minute things we need for the house. I told you this last night."

"What? I'm not allowed to know where my boyfriend is?" Tea demanded.

'Not if you ask it every hour of every day' Yami thought dryly but bit his tongue. He really was not in the mood to argue. "Tea, we're almost near the store. We'll talk about this later." Before Tea could refute, Yami hung up the phone and put it on silent.

Joey couldn't help but feel sorry for the couple. He knew what their problem was. They were mismatched. Tea was a headstrong woman who would do anything to get what she wanted in a way that she approved of, while Yami was someone who wasn't used to being ordered around, he was a pharaoh for heaven's sake. They both expected the other to be something else. To be someone else. The blond leaned back against the car door as his theory about why the couple won't just work.

His thoughts were interrupted when the limo driver announced that they had arrived.

At the store, Yami split the cart with Joey and Mokuba. The raven-haired kid was all too excited to dump numerous snacks on their side of the car that Yami couldn't help but chuckle.

"I don't know if Mokuba is rubbing off you or what." He dumped five cartons of milk on his side of the cart and ticked it off his list on his phone. "The way he's acting, you'd think Kaiba deprives him. But everyone knows that Kaiba's devoted to him."

Joey couldn't help but laugh as Mokuba went through shelf after shelf looking for treats he wanted to take home, as if Yugi's five bags of foreign snacks weren't enough to last them the whole year. "Seto doesn't really go to the store to buy groceries. He usually has someone from his staff stock them or just have them delivered to the mansion." It was after a few moments that Joey caught onto Yami's teasing. "Hey!" he glared at the former pharaoh who was only smirking and looked like he was biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. "I'm not a pig like I was in high school, you know. I've mellowed down a bit."

"Like a bachelor after he got married to the love of his life," Yami playfully commented as he pushed the cart towards the baking section.

Joey just laughed and put back some of the items Mokuba put on their side of the cart. Seto may have given him his credit card, but he needs to make sure not to spoil Mokuba too much. Though, he needs to protect himself when the kid suddenly pulls out the big guns and use his puppy dog eyes on him. A trick he learned from Yugi.

Once they were able to pay for their purchases, they got back in the limo and drove back to the game shop. They deposited the groceries and Joey and Mokuba decided to stay and hang out in the shop with Yami and gramps for a little while longer.

"You know, the offer of joining us for Christmas Eve is still open, gramps," Mokuba said while he looked through the different games displayed in the shop. He had taken to calling Solomon gramps since the old man has insisted to stop calling him Mr. Mutou.

"Yeah, gramps. Won't you and Yami be lonely if it's just the two of you here?" Three years of not seeing Yugi, they still insisted on spending Christmas at the shop.

"The pharaoh and I will be fine, Joseph. Besides, we're going to help out in the children's hospital tonight like we planned," he replied with a smile.

Ever since Yugi left, Solomon and Yami had taken to doing some charity work on the holidays. They really didn't want to spend it without the amethyst-eyed male. This year, they decided to help in the children's hospital. The kids always loved to see Yami since he looked like their idol, the big KOG. Usually, they had a small tournament and grandpa would donate a big portion of his inventory to give as gifts for the kids and some of the Duel Monsters booster packs as prizes for the tournament. He didn't mind donating a lot to the kids, they weren't in a bad position financially anyways. Solomon was a well-known gambler back in his younger days that he paid for his tuition his home and his shop from playing games.

"Besides, Joey, the kids are already excited for the tournament later so we really can't disappoint them by not showing up," Yami said.

"I heard Ryou and Bakura are helping you guys with the party," Joey said.

Ryou and Bakura became a couple all too quickly along with Malik and Marik. This took everyone by surprise but the two former spirits had expressed their admiration for their lights even while they were still sharing a body. And despite everything that had happened in the past, the two lights had forgiven them and even fallen for them as well. The couples said that there was just something between them that had drawn them to each other. Malik explained it as their bond still craving for the intimate closeness they used to share. The light was still craving for the dark and the dark is still addicted to the light as he says.

"For some reason, Bakura has _insisted_ that he come along, to which Ryou happily complied saying he'll cook for the kids too," Yami chuckled when he told the couple of his plans. No one expected, except of course for Ryou and the pharaoh, that Bakura had a soft spot for kids. Bakura wouldn't even deny it too. He knew what it was like to be alone and helpless, it was that reason that he wanted to help. He also says it was his way of paying back for the damage he had done in the past. Yami understood what he meant. Witnessing your whole family and friends be slaughtered merciless and be left alone to fend for yourself then turn to an evil god for revenge, you wouldn't want that to happen to another innocent soul as well.

"He and Ryou had been a great help in wrapping all of the gift for the kids," grandpa said elbowing the pharaoh lightly on the ribs.

Yami rolled his eyes. He had been demoted to tape duty that night. Since he can't wrap a decent gift, he was to cut pieces of tape for the three to make wrapping much faster. Who knew Bakura was good at wrapping gifts?

There was a car honk heard outside.

"Speaking of which, that would be them," Yami announced.

"And that would be our cue to leave, come on, Moki," Joey said as he picked up his boyfriend's little brother by the waist.

"Merry Christmas, you guys!" Mokuba greeted from his post on Joey's shoulder.

Joey gave them a warm greeting and headed outside to greet the lovers outside before heading to the car to go home.

"You go on ahead, grandpa, I'll just get the gifts from the stockroom," Yami said as he handed him his winter jacket.

"Alright, I'll try to send Bakura over to help you load the van," Solomon waved before leaving the shop.

Yami checked the house part of the building to check if everything is locked and in place before heading towards the stockroom to get the kids' presents. There were five brown boxes of packed gifts and a small backpack with a Santa outfit for grandpa and elf hats for the three males later. Yami picked up the backpack first then got the first box of presents. As he got out of the stockroom, Bakura and Ryou were already entering the shop to help.

"I'm still amazed seeing the almighty pharaoh doing manual labor," Bakura snickered.

Yami rolled his eyes and pointed towards the open door of the stockroom. "The other boxes are there where we left them the other night. Help me get them to the car so we can leave early."

Ryou just giggled then pulled his lover towards the stockroom.

* * *

The Christmas Eve party for the kids turned out well. The hospital was grateful for their help with the food and gifts for the kids and everyone was happy with what they got. Even Bakura was smiling as the younger kids who didn't know how to duel kept insisting on him to tell stories about Egypt and about Ryou. Grandpa had donned the Santa outfit they brought and distributed the gifts to the kids while Yami, Ryou, and Bakura wore the elf hats as they served the kids food. Yami was surprised that Bakura wasn't complaining much.

While the kids were eating, Yami eventually took out his phone that was vibrating during the whole party. He already knew who it was that was calling. He groaned at the twenty one missed calls he got from Tea and a text from Joey saying that Tea called him. He turned his phone off, not wanting to argue with her on Christmas Eve and just deal with her tomorrow.

The action went unnoticed though as Bakura sat next to the pharaoh. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked with a smirk.

Yami rolled his eyes, "Twenty one missed calls and a text from Joey saying Tea called him to check up on me."

The former thief king whistled. "Man, you must be at your wit's end with that girl. Good thing Ryou's not like her."

"Well you're kind of like her 'Kura," Ryou commented as he took a seat next to his boyfriend. "I faintly remember you practically attached to my arm during the first few months of us dating."

Bakura scoffed. "Yeah, but I got over it. And look at us now. Still attached to the hip but not hating each other for it."

Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura's shoulders and pecked his cheek. "Yeah. But only after I told you to knock it off and let me work in peace."

"I wish I could have your relationship," Yami sighed. "Tea's been trying to order me around since we started dating, and that was almost three years ago." He leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. They still had thirty more minutes of dinner time before they start singing Christmas carols. "You know me, I'm not some pushover who's just going to be ordered around to act a certain way. I thought she was nice and understanding, you know. I knew her the way she was when Yugi and I shared a body. She was always a good listener back then. But now…" He trailed off and stared at his friends.

"Now that you're separated from Yugi, she acts differently," Bakura finished for him. "You know, I'm kinda thinking that the only reason Tea preferred you over Yugi was because you were the confident type and you also saved her life that one time. But…" Bakura hesitated and looked to his lover for support.

"But she always saw you and Yugi as one person. She may have had hero worship love for you back when you and Yugi were sharing a body, but she also sees the light that Yugi was and expected that from you," Ryou supplied. "Now that you're separated, she's frustrated that her expectations are not met at every turn."

Yami sighed. He had had this conversation with the duo before and he knew they were right, but he also wanted to deny it. He honestly didn't really want to date Tea, he had wanted the girl to transfer her affections to his light instead. But people around them already assumed they were together and it was Tea who actually asked him out. When he realized that Yugi had lost interest, and Yami himself was also too self-conscious to decline, he had accepted.

"Oh and it's not her fault too. You, my benevolent pharaoh, are at fault too." Bakura poked Yami's chest tauntingly. "You expected her to treat you the way she treats Yugi. Or to be more accurate, you expected her to treat you the way your light treated you when you were still sharing a body."

This statement made Yami open his eyes and looked disbelievingly at Bakura. "What?"

The former thief king flashed Yami his malicious smirk. "Why, pharaoh, are you denying my statement?"

Ryou flicked her lover's ear with a finger. "Be nice, 'Kura." He then turned to his friend with a kind smile. "You know, Yami, what 'Kura is trying to say is, you're used to Yugi's treatment back when you were just a spirit inhabiting his body, that maybe...you expect Tea to treat you that way too."

"Why would I do that?" Yami demanded, but kept his voice down so as not to alert the kids.

Ryou bit his lip. "Well, Bakura can explain that better than I do...It's kinda a yami thing." He then got up, "You guys talk. I'll deal with the kiddies. I'll even tell grandpa that you guys are out for a smoke, he'll understand."

Bakura got up and practically dragged Yami towards the small smoking area outside the hospital. The white-haired male took out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter that was an anniversary gift from his boyfriend and lighted a cigarette. He held out the pack towards the pharaoh who declined. Yami only smoked when he was overly stressed. He waved his hand to signal Bakura to get to the point.

Bakura sat down a bench near the trash bin that also doubled as an ashtray. "You know how when Yugi freed you from the puzzle, you suddenly had this uncontrollable urge to defend him?"

Yami nodded. He remembered the sick and twisted games he had played with his light's tormentors and how he did everything to avenge Yugi. It had scared Yugi at first until they eventually had a talk for Yami to control himself.

"Okay, so, that urge to protect him never really faded right?" Bakura didn't wait for Yami to answer. "Marik and I experienced the same thing, although our methods were a bit...unorthodox, we still had that strong urge to protect our lights from harm. And during the course of time that we've been with our lights, we experienced a warm comforting aura from them that made us feel safe that even after we've separated from them, we still crave that warm protective blanket. What you're experiencing with Tea right now is actually what happens when you're deprived of that protective warmth that only your light can provide. The warmth you practically latched onto when you were just a spirit that was tormented by the shadows for thousands of years."

Raising an eyebrow at the thief, Yami crossed his arms on his chest. "I still don't get the connection with Tea."

Rolling his chocolate brown eyes, Bakura took a big hit from his cigarette. "You're unconsciously craving for your light's warm treatment from Tea which she can't provide since she's not Yugi. Think about it for a sec. Ever since Yugi left, you've been expecting Tea to act a certain way around you. Your subconscious is looking for that familiar light warm feeling only your light can give you and the more you're deprived, the more you crave it from others. All of your decisions regarding your life has been centered around your light and you don't even realize it."

"So what you're saying is that I'm not happy with Tea because I'm pining over Yugi?" Yami asked taking Bakura's lighter to light himself a cigarette. He wasn't exactly ready with this revelation.

"Well, if you put it in those words, yeah. But don't think it's unnatural. It's not. You shared a body with Yugi. You have a bond, hell you have a fucking mind link with him. Granted, you're also deprived of that. I can only imagine how clingy you'll get when Yugi comes back," Bakura snickered and lit another cigarette. "Marik and I aren't as oblivious as you are so we practically never let go our lights when we were reunited with them. And besides, being tormented yet again after being separated from them then being given a second chance with them, it was just natural progression to want to be with them again."

He hadn't realized it, but Yami was already halfway through his cigarette. "What do I do then?"

Bakura rolled his eyes again. "Do I seriously have to tell you? Dump the brunette and beg for your light to come home then make sweet sweet love to him to get your cravings satisfied." The white-haired male couldn't help but laugh at the shocked face Yami made after his statement. "And honestly, you and Tea are never going far anyways. Think about it, you don't mind being away from you, but up until now, you're still heartbroken from Yugi leaving."

"Break up with her?" Yami asked more to himself than to Bakura, completely ignoring the other parts of Bakura's statement. He had thought of breaking things off with Tea on numerous occasions but he was always hesitant. Then it clicked with him as with the reason why.

He didn't want to break Tea's heart and have Yugi find out about it then it will lead to Yugi hating him.

Maybe Bakura's theory of his bond with Yugi had some truth. But then…

"Wait a minute. Let's say, _hypothetically_ , that I _am_ pining over Yugi. What makes you think he feels the same way for me?" he asked.

Bakura shrugged. "I don't. Even I thought that Ryou wouldn't feel the same way I felt about him. More so since I wasn't exactly in great terms with him." Bakura chuckled darkly at the memories of his past with Ryou. "But that's just the thing, I'm more afraid of me being tortured in the future of the what ifs than being rejected. But that's me. I'm just lucky that despite everything, Ryou fell for me. Will Yugi fall for you too? I can't tell, mostly because he's somewhere continents away from where we are."

Yami shook his head. "This is a lot to take in. Maybe it's only applicable to you and Marik since you guys were absolute jerks to your lights. Yugi and I are best friends."

Bakura hummed, crossing his legs and resting his chin on his knuckle. "That's also true. Hey, what do I know right? I mean, you and Yugi were _really_ close. You were both nice to each other and everything."

Before Yami could retort a voice called out to them. "Hey, you two! It's time to pack up and go home!" Ryou yelled by the door.

The two darks disposed of their cigarettes and ate a piece of candy before going back inside, leaving the topic discussed outside.

* * *

Yami was restless the whole night. He twisted and turned on his bed as the words from his talk with Ryou and Bakura inhabited his mind. Was he actually pining over Yugi? He did miss his light immensely and he's been doing his best to try and contact him in any way he could, via the mind link or by pushing Seto to track him down. The first few weeks of the Ceremonial Duel was absolutely daunting for Yami. Anyone who touched him, he had a violent jerking reaction except when Yugi touched him. Yugi was always a comforting and safe presence to him. They mainly talked through the mind link and Yami preferred to share a bed with Yugi when they slept. Looking back, Yugi hadn't minded the clinginess at the time. He always welcomed Yami open arms and with a soft friendly smile. After Yami had gotten over the after effects of being separated from Yugi, he was able to interact with other people like he used to when he shared a body with Yugi and he was even able to sleep at night with the lights off and in a separate room from his aibou.

Maybe it only applied to Bakura and Marik. Their separation from their lights made them experience torment in the Shadow Realm until they were reunited again. Now, they have eternal gratitude when they were accepted again by their lights and a yami always has somewhat of a hero worship for their hikari after all.

It was around three in the morning that he was able to fall into a dreamless sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he groaned when he saw that he only got four hours of sleep. He could faintly hear grandpa moving around in the kitchen, so he decided to just forget about sleep and head down to the dining room for breakfast.

"Good morning, Yami. Merry Christmas!" grandpa greeted with a sweet smile. "I made chocolate chip pancakes. I think there's some strawberries in the fridge. Go cut clean them and cut them up so we can have them with the pancakes."

"Merry Christmas, grandpa," Yami greeted sleepily. He went to work with some strawberries he bought yesterday.

Solomon noticed the dark circles around Yami's eyes. "Late night last night?" he inquired slowly. He didn't hear any muffled arguments coming from his room so he may not be arguing with Tea last night.

The former spirit nodded as he took his seat. "Just thinking about a lot of things."

"Care to share?" Solomon asked as he served the male with a plate of pancakes.

The kind eyes of grandpa made Yami consider telling him what was eating his brain away. He got a few strawberries and begun to dig into his breakfast. When he finally got something in his stomach, he looked up to the old man that he had considered his family and spoke. "Grandpa, what do you think about Tea?"

The old man tilted his head to the side the way Yugi usually does when he was confused. "What do I think about a girl I've known since she was a child?"

Yami internally winced at his words. Right. The old man knew Tea longer than him.

Noticing the younger's discomfort, he smiled softly. "Well, she certainly changed after high school, that, I can safely say. I think that you guys were mismatched in the first place," he said carefully. He needed to stay neutral about this despite only usually hearing one side of the argument and eventually siding with the boy in front of him. "You and Tea clash too much, which usually leaves little room for communication and understanding. Since you both prefer to stand your ground and want completely different things without compromise, well, it is to be expected that you will be arguing most of the time."

Yami sighed. "I'm planning on breaking up with her soon," he said quietly. He wasn't breaking up with Tea because of what Bakura had told him, well not completely. But the former pharaoh got bits from what he said that he understood, and even grandpa was saying exactly the same thing as well. Breaking up with her was something he was just putting off since forever.

"Are you asking permission from me to break up with her?" grandpa inquired.

The younger male shook his head. "It's something I've been planning to do but I haven't really put into action yet."

"Well, my boy, if you've been thinking about it for such a long time, I think you should break up with her. No sense for you two to be together if the other one is already contemplating on leaving."

Yami looked up and was expecting a glare but was surprised to see grandpa's soft supportive smile. The former spirit smiled in return.

The rest of the breakfast was filled with a lighter and easier topic. Once they were done, Yami had cleaned the dishes and they both went to their little tree to collect their own presents to open in their rooms. Yami was excited to open Yugi's gift for him since the box was bigger than the usual things he got. Yugi usually bought him accessories or trinkets from past civilizations. The gift he got last Christmas was a box where he could put all the treasures Yugi had given him. Said box was now on his dresser glittering under the morning light.

Saving Yugi's gift for last, Yami opened the gifts from his friends. Joey and Seto had given him two tickets to Egypt and a voucher to the hotel there for a three-night stay all valid for three years. He couldn't help but smile fondly at the simple gift. While he had enough money, thanks to the treasures buried with him that the Ishtars had guarded for generations, he never used them unless he needed it. Since he'd been helping grandpa with managing the game shop and with his online classes, add having to deal with Tea, he really didn't have any time to go back to Egypt. He had been considering to go there to reconnect with his past self, and maybe think, but the craziness of his life in Domino made him put off the trip. He put the tickets and voucher aside, taking note to plan the trip as soon as possible. The rest of the gifts were just clothes and accessories from his friends. Grandpa had given him a senet board game he had had someone restore to look like what it used to back in ancient Egypt. Tea had given him gift check from his favorite clothing store.

When all of the other gifts were opened, he collected the trash and put it in a plastic bag he'll throw out later. Now, it was time for Yugi's gift. He eyed the big box that was sitting innocently on his bed. Before he could open it, he put away the gifts of his friends away then went back to his bed and put the box in front of him.

Yami tore through the brown box and was surprised to see a Kuriboh plushie wearing a gold necklace. The necklace had an eye of Horus pendant that had a ruby as a pupil. Yami was so excited he put the necklace on and hugged the Kuriboh. But he was surprised when he got a whiff of Yugi's familiar scent that his heart leapt when his brain registered what that smell was. Yami lay down on his bed and cuddled the stuffed toy and inhaled the familiar scent of his aibou. He didn't realize that he had started cry until the toy felt damp on his cheeks.

"I miss you so much, Yugi," he whimpered. He hugged the Kuriboh tight and was surprised when he felt something was attached to it underneath. He turned the toy around and saw a white envelope with his name on it. A face splitting grin painted his face as he realized that his wish was answered.

Yugi wrote a letter to him!

Keeping the Kuriboh in his arms, even going so far as to wrap his legs around it as if it would fly away if he let go, he took the envelope and was excited when indeed a letter was inside it. He might go berserk and reactivate his shadow powers if he saw a Duel Monsters card inside instead.

His eyes started to water as he read through his aibou's handwriting.

 _Dear Yami,_

 _First of all, I'm sorry for not contacting you guys so much. A lot has been happening and my life has been such a whirlwind with travelling the world. Second of all, I miss you. Words can't express how much a I miss you, and I hope you don't hate me for not coming back so soon. And finally to my last point, I'm coming back. I haven't ironed out the details on the when, but I'm coming back._

 _I miss you, I miss grandpa, I miss the gang, I miss Domino. I miss my old life. I can honestly say that I have seen the world and now I want to come back. If we're being honest, I think I've seen the world twice now. The letter I wrote to grandpa will also let him know that I'm coming back. He'll be happy, I hope. Thank you so much for taking care of him, if you're asking me why I know this, it's because I know you well enough to know that you will take care of grandpa while I'm off seeing the world._

 _You have no idea how much I want to tell you guys about my travels. You will soon, once I come back. I promise you I'll be back in Domino soon. I hope you haven't rented my room out yet in the years that I've been away. You know I like my things in a certain order._

 _Anyways, while I'm gone, I know I'll be missing your birthday so I have two gifts for you in this package. The Kuriboh is a stuffed toy I saw in Domino Airport gift shop during my flight leaving Domino all those years ago. It's been with me for years and I have fought with security twice now just to keep it with me as my carry-on. I'm sending him to you so you can take care of him while I fix everything for my return. I'm about to get my diploma, can you believe it? I'll tell you all about it when I come back._

 _Your other gift is actually something I saw in Egypt. Yes, I went to Egypt and no I didn't see Marik or Malik. They were in America touring_ your _tablet when I got there. Thank you, by the way, for teaching me how to play senet. I got that necklace by winning three rounds of senet in Egypt. When the man asked how I could play so well, I told him a pharaoh taught me. He thought I was kidding, but gave me the necklace anyways. I hope you like it. It suits you. The ruby made me remember your eyes, and the Eye of Horus fits your perfectly. You're the pharaoh. The living Horus._

 _Take care always, mou hitori no boku. And please look after grandpa until I come back._

 _Missing you, Yugi._

Yami couldn't help himself, he jumped for joy at the news that Yugi was coming back. After tracing his fingers over the old nickname only Yugi would call him, he rushed out of his room and yelled for grandpa.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Yugi's coming back!" he yelled enthusiastically out on the hallway.

Solomon opened the door to his room with bright eyes, a piece of paper in his hand. "I know, I just finished reading his letter. Did you get one too?"

Yami nodded excitedly, the Kuriboh still in his arms. "How long do you think before he comes home?"

"Well I hope he comes now, but that's wishful thinking." Solomon chuckled. "Go, tell the others, I'll be sleeping for today."

Yami suddenly had concern written all over his face. "Are you alright, grandpa? Do you need to go to the doctor?"

Grandpa laughed and waved his hand dismissively at Yami, "Oh no. I'm fine. But this will be the first time I get to sleep soundly knowing my grandson is coming home soon. I haven't slept like that since he left."

Yami nodded with a smile. "Alright. I'll be heading out to meet the others. I'll be back for dinner, grandpa." He walked back to his room with an extra bounce in his step. He lay the Kuriboh plushie on his bed carefully as if it was a child after hugging it tight and inhaling Yugi's scent one more time. He then hid the necklace Yugi gave him underneath his shirt. No need for Tea to see it and get jealous about it now, it already took a lot for her to get over the fact that the jacket Yugi gave him was his favorite.

After one last look in the mirror, he put on his favorite jacket and left the Mutou house to get to Seto's mansion. When he got there, he was the only one they were waiting for, at least he didn't have to wait long for his news. They were gathered in Seto's massive game room. Mokuba and Tristan were on the carpet playing Overwatch, while Bakura, Joey, and Seto were playing a game of poker, with Bakura casually coaching Mokuba on how to win against Tristan, to which the younger was grateful for. Ryou was seated beside Bakura and talking to Tea.

Of course, his excitement died down a bit when he saw the disappointed face of Tea. From the look of Ryou's apologetic expression towards him and Bakura's scowl towards Tea, it was obvious that his soon-to-be-exgirlfriend had been complaining about him while they waited for him to arrive.

Before Tea even had her chance to get a hold of him. He blurted out, "Guys! Yugi's coming back!"

"No way!" was the collective exclamations of everyone gathered in Seto's mansion. Even Seto was surprised with the news.

Yami nodded enthusiastically. "Grandpa and I just got a letter from him saying that he's coming home soon. But he just has a lot of stuff to deal with first before he needs to come home. Not sure what he meant by that, but it must be something so important that he doesn't know when to come home."

At that, Seto got his phone out and called Roland who always picks up at the first ring. "Roland, track down Yugi Mutou right now and get to him ASAP. I want you to assist him in anything he needs done so he can come back to Domino faster."

The former pharaoh mouthed a "Thank you" towards the brunet CEO. He then took a seat at the floor by Tea's feet and took a handful of chips on the coffee table. It tasted weird, like he was eating a salad or something. "What are these?"

It was Joey who answered. "Yugi got me different flavors of Lays. I think that's Reuben or maybe the Gyro one." He looked at the bowl and saw the light brown chips. "Oh that's the Gyro-flavored one. Tastes awesome right?"

"So what did Yugi got you for Christmas, Yami?" Ryou asked as he struggled off of Bakura's lap.

"He got me a Kuriboh plushie and a gold necklace he won at Egypt over a game of senet," Yami said proudly.

Bakura scoffed from his position, his eyes never leaving the TV screen. "You make it sound like if it weren't for you, he wouldn't have won. We all know who won that day during the Ceremonial Duel, _pharaoh_. Don't sound too proud of yourself," he gave a quick smirking glance at Yami during his last statement.

"Well, I did teach him," Yami defended playfully.

"And I bet two packs of cigs that on the first actual game you guys played after you taught him, he won against you," Bakura teased.

At Yami's scowl, everyone started laughing.

"Well, Yami, you have to admit that Yugi is the true King of Games," Tristan said.

"So what am I Chopped liver?" Yami joked.

"Yes," Bakura and even Seto answered when he came back to the room.

"So, Seto, what did Roland say?" Joey asked.

"Yugi is about to graduate from his international studies degree. He minored in history too. He's getting ready to go to Egypt for his final exam for his minor in history," he explained. He went back on his original place on the loveseat with Joey. "When I asked if Yugi was struggling financially, although I highly doubt that given the gifts he's given us, Roland says that Yugi has been into stocks and is saving his winnings from gambling in different accounts. When I asked Roland about how well Yugi was with stocks, well, his answer made me order him to buy a portion of stocks in everything Yugi invested." Seto shook his head with a smile.

Tristan, Joey, and Bakura whistled, impressed with Seto's praise for Yugi.

"Do you think there's a way for him to get home quicker?" Ryou asked.

"Roland's already on it. I'm sending him to where Yugi is now."

"And where would that be?"

"New York City, I think. That's what Roland thinks. He could be in the Bahamas for all we know." Seto shook his head in exasperation.

The rest of the gang chuckled. It may have been frustrating to try and track Yugi down and visit him, but Seto was the one who got frustrated the most. He already fired too many headhunters due to his frustration. He basically just looked into the school and degree Yugi enrolled to to make sure it was legit and was relieved that it was.

"Yami, we need to talk," Tea said in a hushed voice.

Yami nodded and followed the brunette to the other room which was the library. When they were both sure that no one was following them and that they were out of earshot, Tea spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Yami. I know I'm a bitch for doing this but, I want a break-up," she said making sure to keep constant eye contact with Yami's wine-red eyes.

Yami was taken aback. He had been planning to break up with Tea. He had no idea that the girl had the same thoughts. "Tea..." he started but was cut off.

"No! Wait! Listen, Yami. I need to tell you this before I lose my momentum," she said. She bit her lip and was doing her best not to be affected by the other's presence. "I feel like we were better when we were just friends. I wasn't expecting too much from you before we started dating. And the only reason I had this infatuation with you was because you saved me that one time years ago when you were still sharing Yugi's body. In reality, I was in love with that knight in shining armor. Well, I'm not in love with him now and I'm not in love with you. So I don't think there's any point with us being together if I don't have any feelings for you. I don't think I even genuinely loved you in the first place." When she had finally said her piece, she tore her gaze from the boy and kept her head down.

Yami chuckled then wrapped his arms around the girl. Tea froze in his arms and he chuckled louder. "Thanks, Tea. I think you're right," he said. When he pulled away, he was met by a shocked expression from Tea. "I was actually planning on breaking up with you as well. I just thought maybe after three days or until the holidays have ended. It wouldn't be fair to you if I broke up with you on Christmas. You'd hate the holiday." At the smirk from the girl, Yami let out a laugh in which Tea joined in. It was the most calm and free he'd felt with the girl in such a long time, that maybe Tea was right. Maybe they were better off as friends.

Upon hearing laughter instead of the usual shouting, their friends went to the library to check up on them.

"Are you guys okay?" Joey asked.

The pair looked over at their friends' confused expressions and they laughed harder. They clutched their sides and let out their laughter, something they haven't done together in so long.

It was Yami who recovered first. "Sorry. We're fine, actually. Better even."

Tea recovered and straightened up. "Yup. We just broke up."

Tristan rolled his eyes but smirked. "Don't sound too heartbroken about it," he sneered teasingly.

The ex-couple looked at each other then laughed once more. Yami doubling over as he tried to clutch his sides. The rest of the gang looked at the couple and couldn't help but join in the laughter. Yami was the first to recover and he couldn't help but smile as at his friends and suppress the lump in his throat knowing that there was one crucial person that was missing to make this image complete. But he had to look at the bright side. At least he was coming back soon.

 _Come back to me, aibou._

* * *

 **A/N: Ending suuuuuuuuucks...I plan on making this a very short fic. Around 5-10 chapters only. This is just fluff galore that has been eating my brain and I couldn't concentrate on a puzzleshipping fic that I'm working on which is supposed to be my main project. So I'm posting this first and hopefully when I finish this, I can go on and continue working on my main project. Anywhoo... kindly review on what you guys think, I'll be posting chapter 2 next week...hopefully... I mean I did finish this chapter in 3 days only, complete with editting. Although, I'm pretty sure I still have typos and errors here.**


	2. Reacquiantance

It was still a few months after Christmas before they got a somewhat concrete date for Yugi's return. Roland reported that Yugi would be back around summer time. Apparently, Yugi not only had a final exam in Egypt but he also had a number of loose ends he needed to tie up, whatever that was. The moment Roland was able to find Yugi and actually see him, the bodyguard-slash-assistant didn't leave Yugi's side. Because of it, the gang was able to at least talk to Yugi via a phone call. Yami was about to burst at the sound of Yugi's voice but he was able to control himself, thankfully, so as not to humiliate himself and get that malicious sneer from Bakura and Ryou.

In the phone call, Yugi told them that his last stop was England and he was going to Domino with Marik and Malik in tow. They were coming along to Domino since Ishizu and Rishid decided to have Yami's exhibit be in Domino permanently since it made sense for it to be near the pharaoh. Yugi said they'd be back around the summer time, hopefully before his birthday since he wanted to spend it with his family and friends.

The gang was currently relaxing and enjoying the summer weather at Kaiba's mansion. They were all at the garden enjoying the sun. Tea was on her laptop with Ryou at her side trying to look at dance schools and enroll to them again. Ryou was helping her by checking at which school was better and had a good environment. Seto was on his laptop, working as usual. Yami was playing chess against Mokuba with Bakura coaching the younger, while Joey and Tristan were playing frisbee.

"Mr. Kaiba."

Everyone turned to the familiar voice of Roland.

Seto narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Didn't I tell you to call me when you landed in Domino, Roland?" He closed his laptop and got his phone out to check if Roland left any messages. There was none.

"Sorry, Kaiba, I wanted to see my grandpa first," a voice said.

Behind Roland was someone they almost didn't recognize at first glance. But then the voice was a dead giveaway.

Yugi stood there, who looked to almost be at the same height as Tea or even as tall as Yami. He was wearing black jeans, brown shoes, a tan leather jacket and a white v-neck shirt underneath. His eyes were covered by bronze aviators. He slowly removed them and flashed his friends that signature soft smile. His cherubic face had already sharpened somewhat. He now had a lean body and he still wore the leather choker around his neck and cuffs on his wrists. His eyes still shone like sparkling amethysts as he looked at the friends he hasn't seen in a long time. "Hey, everyone!" he greeted.

It took everyone a few seconds before it settled with them that Yugi was in front of them. It was Tea who first ran to Yugi and hugged him fierce.

"Yugi! It's really you!" she exclaimed as she squeezed the man in his arms tight. She was surprised that he was now a few inches taller than her.

"Hey, Tea," Yugi hugged the female back and he looked over and saw his dark for a moment before he was engulfed into a group hug by Ryou, Joey, and Tristan. "Guys, can't breathe," he gasped jokingly.

When he was released, Bakura, Seto, and Yami eventually walked over to where they were. Everyone stood aside so the trio could get a look at him. When the Yami found an opening, he flung himself at his light and buried his face in Yugi's hair. There was something about his scent that was different but addicting, but he won't admit that to anyone. "You're back," he whispered. He felt Yugi hug him back just as tight.

"I know. I'm sorry. I could've come back sooner" Yugi's voice was soft so only Yami could hear.

Yami shook his head and inhaled the familiar scent that was his aibou. He had a smokey mint, strawberries, and a hint of vanilla scent and Yami did his best to drown in it. "Don't care," he chuckled in Yugi's ear. With Yugi in his arms, he felt at peace, like knowing he wasn't being rejected by the light. He really didn't want to let go of Yugi right now.

It was only when someone cleared their throat that Yami pulled away.

Behind Yugi were two platinum blond look-alikes.

"Oh. Hey, guys," Ryou waved.

Marik scoffed. "You know, Yugi, if you had let us come in first, our welcome would've been warmer."

"We see you guys every few months," Bakura explained. "We haven't seen the runt in three years."

Yugi, raising an eyebrow, walked right next to Bakura and made sure to be close enough so they were almost touching shoulders. He put his hand on top of Bakura's head. Yugi then proceeded to sway his hand between him and Bakura's heads to emphasize that he had had a growth spurt, making him just as tall as Bakura, if you counted his gravity defying hair.

The white-haired yami narrowed his eyes at Yugi's proud and victorious smirk then snorted. "Whatever," he grumbled. "And by the way," he pointed at the hikari, "Hair doesn't count, runt." He smirked and poked lightly at Yugi's forehead.

Everyone giggled at the sight. When the laughter died down, they all went back inside the mansion since everyone from Domino wanted to know about Yugi's travels.

It was Pegasus who gave the offer for Yugi to continue his study and travel around the world longer. The Duel Monsters creator wanted Yugi's fame as a means for him to get contacts and investors around the world. Since Duel Monsters is not big yet on some countries, he needed the King of Games himself as his spokesperson for different investors. Yugi went to a different country almost every month to immerse himself with the culture, study the language, and model himself into the person the investors would agree with. And with Yugi's natural light and friendly aura, he was able to win the businessmen easily. It also helped that he could gamble to get them to agree. This piece of information surprised Kaiba so much that he took out his laptop to contact his lawyers and officers to make a deal with Pegasus to get Yugi for himself instead. Pegasus had initially wanted Yami to go but since Yugi was the one named as the big KOG and he _did_ beat the pharaoh in the ceremonial duel, he chose Yugi instead.

"Pegasus also said that since Yami still needed to adjust to the modern world, forcing him to adapt to different cultures might overwhelm him." Yugi explained. "Although, Yami would've been perfect for the job though. I mean, he was a pharaoh. So making negotiations was part of the job, right Yami?"

The former pharaoh chuckled. "But I don't think I'm as charismatic as I once was. People find me intimidating rather than like you who is charming one, aibou."

Yugi blushed furiously at the statement while Marik and Malik laughed out loud.

"Oh you have _no_ idea, pharaoh," Marik exclaimed.

During the three years he was abroad, Yugi had learned, not only different languages, but different skills as well. One in particular, had Marik and Malik teasing him to no end.

"He can pick up anyone _easily_. He basically leaves dozens of broken hearts anywhere he goes," Marik teased as he wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders. "We once went to America, and since Malik here is well-known, thanks to Battle City, people who had fallen for Yugi kept asking Malik for Yugi's number. It was _hilarious_." He let go of Yugi and bumped shoulders with his hikari. "Tell him about the set of twins we met outside the museum in New York."

At that, Malik's eyes brightened with amusement. "Oh gosh! Yes! That was the _best_!" He couldn't hold his laughter that he eventually guffawed alongside his Yami, leaving the other inhabitants of the room bewildered as to why they were laughing so hard. They eventually looked at Yugi who was blushing furiously and buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. At the sound of Yugi's groan, Malik mellowed down into chuckles. "Oh come on, Yugi. You shouldn't be ashamed. It was _amazing_ that you could do that."

"Just tell the damn story already!" Joey exclaimed in frustration.

After a few more chuckles, Malik was all laughed-out. "Okay, I'll tell you." He took in a big breath before speaking again. "So, I was outside with Marik so he could take a smoke. Then a pair of fraternal twins come up to me asking me if I was Malik Ishtar. When I told them I was, the girl twin suddenly asked if I was close to Yugi. When I told her I was, she suddenly grabbed my arm and asked me if I knew where he was or if I knew his email or phone number. Her twin brother, on the other hand, tried to calm her down since she was borderline hysterical. She was demanding that I pull Yugi out of my ass."

"I think her exact words were 'Where are you hiding my Yugi?'" Marik interrupted with a smirk.

"Anyways," Malik rolled his eyes. "The twin brother eventually got his sister to calm down and she left to go to the car or something, I can't remember. He apologized and explained that his sister had been obsessed with Yugi ever since they went drinking that one night. When I thought that the whole weird episode was over, the twin brother suddenly handed me his number telling us to call him and _only him_ if we saw Yugi again. And that he's still waiting for him. I asked what he was talking about-"

Marik suddenly laughed, interrupting Malik again. "Sorry," he gasped. "I can't forget the look on that guy's face. Apparently, he made out with Yugi during that night they were having drinks and he thought that he was Yugi's soulmate. When Malik asked what he was talking about, he told us that he wanted Yugi to know that he hasn't stopped thinking about him and that he was willing to wait until he came back so they could pick up where they left off."

Yugi groaned and buried his face in Yami's shoulder. "In my defense," he started, his face still red with embarrassment. "There were six of us that night at the bar. My friends from uni invited me out for drinks with their friends. We were playing spin the bottle and I was dared to make out with that guy. For some reason he thinks we're meant to be or something. As for his twin sister, I saved her from a guy who was humping at her at the dancefloor. We danced for a bit so guys would back off. I did it as a friend, nothing more."

"Well, every country we go to that you've already been, we encounter people asking about you. It doesn't matter if it was a guy or a girl. They all fell victim to your charm," Malik teased with a smirk.

"Wow, who knew Yugi would be the heartbreaker of the group?" Tristan said teasingly. "So, Yugi, did you use that charm of yours to get flings?"

Before Yugi could answer, Marik and Malik both yelled, "Hell yes!"

"Okay!" Yugi let out his hands defensively. "Before these two overly exaggerate the truth, I had a few flings. They didn't last very long. It usually ends before I leave a certain country and I usually have them when I get to stay more than three months in a certain country."

"So how many flings did you have, Yug?" Joey asked with a teasing smirk on his face.

"Two guys and a girl," Yugi answered carefully. Everyone knew he was bisexual, but he was more concerned of their reaction over the number of flings he's had during the three years he was gone. They were merely his moments of weakness when he felt too lonely that he wanted a warm body next to him on his bed. Of course he made sure that his flings knew that they were only flings and nothing more. If he wanted a serious relationship, he would have it here in Domino.

"Oh, by the way, we actually got to see Yugi's charm in action when we went out drinking in London," Marik said. "I can't explain it, but for some reason, guys and girls alike love what they call his boyish charm. He'd flash them a smile and they will come to him like moths to a flame."

"Yugi will speak in English with an accent and the person will eat that shit up. Like when we were in London, Yugi spoke to this girl with a thick Japanese accent. Total gentleman with just the right amount of contact," Malik shook his head. "Girl didn't have a chance. She was eating out of the palm of Yugi's hand."

"You guys are making me sound like a player," Yugi rolled his eyes. "One, she came onto me. Two, you _asked_ me to show you how I flirt with people. I did. And three, I didn't sleep with her, just a couple of dances. Let me just clear that out right now." He narrowed his eyes at Joey and Tristan who were smiling like idiots at Malik's little tale.

"So, Yugi, you're going to stay here from now on?" Tea asked, her eyes hopeful.

Yugi flashed her his bright smile that everyone missed. "Well, yeah. The only reason Pegasus wanted me to travel the world was so I could learn the culture and the mannerisms of other people so I can use it when he brings in investors in his office."

"Well, you won't be working for him if I have anything to say about it," Seto said.

Yugi chuckled. "I'd like to travel as a tourist now than for work, Seto. No more than a week in a country," he joked. "And if I did, I'd like to travel with you guys instead. It's not so fun enjoying the sights alone, you know." He looked at Yami with a reassuring smile then looked at the rest of his friends. "Don't worry, Tea, if I'm leaving to go on a different country, I'll make sure to take you guys along."

"Besides, I just realized, when I don't bring you guys along with my travels, nothing dangerous happens," Yugi joked. "No evil being trying to take over the world and using magic to get what they want. Maybe our next trip there won't be any crazed weirdo wanting to trap us in another dimension."

"So what you're saying is that it's because of us that's why your travels are always life threatening?" Joey asked with a smirk.

"If we're going to be specific," Malik interjected. "It's only when these three are involved that things go weird and dangerous." He pointed at the three yamis who only shrugged in response.

"So if we travel without these three freaks plus Seto then we can actually have a normal outing?" Tristan asked with a smirk.

"Sounds like a plan!" Joey replied. "Oh and, Ryou, without Bakura, we can finally have that club night we've been planning! And with Yugi around, he can teach us how to flirt with other people," he said excitedly.

"Ooh!" Ryou's eyes glittered at Joey's suggestion. "Malik, you wanna join us?"

"Hell yes!" the platinum blond answered.

"HELL NO!" Seto, Bakura, and Marik exclaimed.

At their outburst, the rest of the gang started laughing, except for Yami who was glaring slightly at the prospect of Yugi flirting with other people.

"You are not flirting with other people in a club," Seto pressed, his icey blue eyes piercing at his boyfriend.

"That goes for you two," Bakura pointed at Marik and Ryou.

"Don't worry, guys. I'm pretty sure we've extinguished every evil weirdo there is," Yugi said, still chuckling. "Although, Pegasus and I found some cult at France, and I just left as soon as possible. I am not dealing with them without Yami, that's for sure."

At the look of mortification from his friends, Yugi laughed again.

"I'm kidding guys. We didn't find some cult in France. The catacombs were freaky though."

After talking about Yugi's travels, everyone got him up to speed with everything happening in Domino. One of which was Ishizu and Rishid finding Yami's tomb where all his possessions were. Since, technically, they were Yami's, he had a say on what happened to them. He wanted to give a portion of them to the Ishtars as payment for keeping an eye on his tomb but they declined saying that touring his famous tablet would provide more than enough for them that they could actually live in luxury if they wanted to. Yami had also given a portion of his treasures to Bakura. This took the former thief king off guard. Yami says that it wasn't fair that he got to live a life of luxury as a pharaoh as well as in his second life while Bakura lived off the streets back then and still have nothing now. He may not be able to bring back Bakura's friends and family but he could at least repay him in some other way.

Everyone went silent when Yugi asked about Yami and Tea. They gauged at his expression as Tea spoke and also considered leaving so the three of them could talk.

"Yugi, Yami and I broke up last December," she said carefully.

Beside Yugi, Yami had tensed and feared for the eventual rage and disappointment that will be directed at him by his hikari. He could feel the light's judging eyes looking at him. He couldn't speak yet so he waited for Tea to explain things. Truthfully, their talk last Christma aside, they haven't exactly talked about the break up ever. So now, Yami had to trust Tea that she wouldn't throw him under the bus as she explained the break up to Yugi.

"What happened?" Yugi asked, his voice laced with concern as he looked at his two best friends. Tea kept constant eye contact at him while Yami refused to meet his gaze. His body language was rigid and his eyes were either staring at Tea, hopeful, or down at his knees where Yugi couldn't see the expression in his crimson eyes. Did Tea break his heart?

"We've been arguing a lot lately and we just decided to break things off while we can still be friends," she explained with a smile.

"Are you guys okay now?" Yugi asked as he stared at Tea's smile and Yami's hesitation to look at him. Yugi was suddenly concerned for his darkness. He feared that maybe Tea was just saying that they were okay, but in reality, Yami was still mending his broken heart. Then he wouldn't know which person he would side on. He bumped his shoulder on his darkness to get a reaction, when his amethysts connected with the dazzling rubies of his darkness, he did his best to convey his concern over him.

"We're fine, aibou," Yami's voice spoke. He felt relief wash over him when he saw how concerned Yugi was of him. He knew that look well. Whenever Yami was off to a big duel, Yugi always showed that face of full concern and worry when they still both shared a body. "We're better now, ever since we broke up." He gave Yugi a reassuring smile. "If anything, we wouldn't be in good terms if we still continued dating each other."

"We would've hated each other," Tea continued. She grabbed Yugi's hand and smiled, "We promise that we're really fine, Yugi."

Yami couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the way Tea held his aibou's hand, her eyes shining with hope directed at Yugi. At the corner of his eye, he could see Bakura whispering to Ryou with a smirk. He could feel their stares at him. Ever since his talk with Bakura, the couple has teased him silently with their stares whenever the topic of Yugi was brought up. He did his best to swallow his jealousy since he really had no name for the feelings he had for his light. It could possibly just aftereffects of being separated from Yugi for such a long time. Bakura did mention that he could become clingy when Yugi comes back. Maybe that was just it. He was sure that once the itch in his soul from being so far away from his light subsides, he'll be back to normal. He did feel this way after the first few weeks of having his own body.

After another round of funny stories, it was time to go home. Yami and Yugi had offered to drive Tea to her place to which the brunette agreed. Yami had to fight the urge to roll his eyes when he saw the silent snickers of Bakura and Ryou. He internally groaned when he saw twin smirks from Marik and Malik. Looks like Bakura has shared his revelation to Marik.

In the car, Yami couldn't help but look at Tea as she ogled Yugi who already had his jacket off, revealing his toned arms and slightly tanned skin. He wouldn't be as sun-kissed as Yami's Egyptian complexion, but Yugi looked as if he was glowing with the bit of color on his skin. Yami figured he could be happy for Yugi. He remembered about the countless times he and Yugi would be in his soul room talking about the brunette. He felt like he was betraying Yugi when he agreed to date Tea but then again, Yugi had said he didn't like Tea anymore.

When they finally dropped Tea off and they got home, Yami couldn't help but tackle Yugi with another hug. The first thing he thought of was that Yugi smelled different.

"Have you been smoking?" he asked, his arms still wrapped around the hikari, his nose buried in Yugi's hair. He sighed deeply when he felt Yugi hug him back.

"How can you tell? The last time I had a smoke was before we boarded the plane." Yugi chuckled and reveled at the warmth his darkness provided. He had missed Yami the most.

Yami snorted. "Do you honestly think I can't tell if you've taken a smoke or not? And now that we're on the subject." Yami pulled away slightly to smirk at Yugi with a raised eyebrow. "Since when did you start smoking?"

The hikari giggled. "A few months after I left. It was a way to converse with other people outside of the meeting room. I'm not a chain smoker, if that's what you're worried about. I only do it as a way to talk to other people on a more personal level." Yugi then raised an eyebrow at the former pharaoh. "Besides, you're one to talk, don't think I didn't see the pack of cigarettes you were trying to hide in the glove compartment."

Yami blushed slightly but shrugged nonetheless before hugging Yugi again, giving the hikari little room to move. Since his arms were stuck in Yami's embrace, Yugi could only move his hands in a poor attempt of hugging his darkness back. Not that he minded. He missed Yami the most out of all of his friends anyways. This kind of attention was welcome.

"Come on, Yami, it's time for bed. Grandpa is already asleep," Yugi tapped his darkness's side lightly but the dark didn't budge. Yugi chuckled then pulled away slightly so he could be face to face with Yami. "You want to sleep in the same room tonight, mou hitori no boku?"

At the sound of his old nickname, Yami couldn't help but sigh in contentment. He pulled away and nodded. "I'll just go to my room and change, mou hitori no ore." He hugged the hikari one last time before leading the way up the stairs to the bedrooms. Yami had changed into his usual sleep wear, the maroon pajamas he received from Yugi on his first birthday since he stayed in the land of the living. He didn't bother knocking at Yugi's door, so when he entered Yugi's room, Yami's jaw fell to the floor at the sight of his half-dressed hikari.

Yugi was only clad in light blue boxers with stars on it, reminiscent of his old pajamas back when he was a teenager. He was currently topless, showing Yugi's lean body. He didn't have defined muscles like Yami but he was well-toned, like a swimmer's or a dancer's. and the boxers hung dangerously low on his hips showing the nice V-shaped path down to his-

Yami shook his head and blinked rapidly, mentally smacking himself for his very inappropriate thoughts.

"Hey, Yami," Yugi blushed furiously when he saw the intense gaze Yami had on him. He rushed to put on his grey shirt. He sat down on the bed and patted the space between him. There was a black blur and Yugi was now lying on the bed in the arms of Yami. Having his darkness be this clingy with him wasn't really new since they got separated. Yami refused to leave Yugi's side and so did he. There was an itch in his mind that he couldn't scratch unless he was with his darkness. They spent weeks just being with each other until they were able to function separately without breaking down. With the extended time apart, the itch came back but it was somewhat bearable. He ran his hand through Yami's soft hair and cuddled deeper in his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered softly.

"You already said that," Yami murmured. "I already told you that I don't care. What's important is that you're back." And it was true. He had no right to be angry with his light. If it weren't for Yugi, he'd still be a tortured soul stuck in the Millennium Puzzle.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked carefully. "I know you and Tea said you guys were okay, but really, mou hitori no boku, are you okay?" He made sure he was maintaining eye contact with Yami and conveying full on concern for his darkness. "I won't get mad, Yami. You know I can't get mad at you."

"I'm seriously fine, aibou. Like I said, I'd be worse if we stayed together." He froze for a moment after he heard what he said. He didn't mean to sound like he was badmouthing Tea. No need to make a reason for Yugi to hate him.

Yugi sat up on the bed and leaned on the headboard. "Yami, come on. It's been years since we've had a decent talk and it's my fault. But I'm here now and I want you to tell me."

He instantly regretted it when he looked up at Yugi's bright wide amethyst eyes pleading at him. Yami groaned audibly. "Yugi, no fair." He put his hand playfully to cover Yugi's puppy dog eyes. "You know I can't say 'no' to that face." At the giggle from Yugi, Yami sighed and removed his hand so he could sit up next to Yugi. "Tea and I never really saw eye to eye in the first place."

Pursing his lips, Yugi studied the boy beside him. He didn't speak, he just waited for Yami to continue.

"It felt like Tea wanted me to act differently. It was difficult especially with the way I was brought up. I was raised to be a living god and to act like one. Then I started dating Tea, and she expected me to serve her hand and foot," he started to ramble. "She expects me to wait for her during her dance practice, go with her to the mall and carry all of her bags, and she even wanted me to wear and eat the things she want. I can't do that." After he let out his rant, he looked at Yugi and stopped himself from saying more. Even though they have shared a body, he still respected Yugi and his friends. He still thought that Yugi would put his friends first before him.

Yugi must've felt his yami's distress so he smiled and carefully touched Yami's arm. "I'm not mad. Just tell me, Yami. I'll listen. I don't hate you. You know I could never hate you."

"I'm sorry, aibou. I just don't want to give Tea a bad image or make you think that I'm badmouthing her in front of you. You may have told me that you don't like her anymore, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't still defend. She still is your oldest friend, after all." He bowed his head in apology and waited for Yugi to speak.

"Age-wise, _you_ are my oldest friend, _pharaoh._ " Yugi teased to lighten the mood. "But seriously, mou hitori no boku. Tea may be my friend, but you're my friend too."

Yami rolled his eyes but smiled at Yugi. "Tea told me that she wasn't really in love with me and that maybe she never did in the first place. I kinda felt the same way. I never really did like her that way. I was just too self-conscious to say no to her. I didn't know if you'd hate me if I said no or yes or what. I already stole the attention of the girl you liked and then I'm just going to turn her down after you already said it was okay. When we started dating, it was quite frustrating to try and fit myself to the image she had pictured me in. Then we had the whole college argument when I decided to take online classes so I could help grandpa with the shop." He sat on the other side of the bed so he could be face to face with Yugi. "I was dueling for a few months and used my winnings for the shop and help him on days when I'm not dueling. Tea told me that I should get a degree and I did talk to grandpa about it and he told me that it would be good to have one so I decided to get one online so I could still actively help grandpa in the shop. But she didn't approve." Yami stopped himself from rambling again.

"Let me guess, considering you're about to finish your online degree that that argument ended?" Yugi asked.

Yami shook his head. "The argument kept coming up and we've fought far too many times because of it."

Yugi just listened and nodded. He squeezed Yami's arm to reassure him. "I always thought that you guys would make a good couple, you know?" Yugi smiled at Yami and continued. "You guys are both confident, and amazing."

"I missed you so much," Yami said again, not wanting to talk about Tea anymore.

"I missed you too, Yami. You're the one I missed the most. I'm sorry I left." He was genuinely sorry for leaving and not even trying hard to come back and visit. "I'm also sorry for blocking you out from our mind link. I didn't know how else was I going to be able to go without having second thoughts."

"Why did you shut me out?"

Yugi's breath hitched slightly at the pained voice of Yami. "I knew that if there was anyone in my life that would convince me not to go, that would be you."

Yami nodded and looked carefully at Yugi. "It was hard being so far away from you. I used to sleep in your room with the lights on when I miss you at night."

"Before I left, people always asked me why I wasn't with you whenever they saw me alone. I may have won the Ceremonial Duel, the duel that was supposed to prove that I can go on with my life without you, but people still expect me to depend on you." Yugi kept his eyes downcast. His hands were fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "When sensei told me that I could go on a trip to study few courses, the main reason I wanted to accept it so I could actually prove that I can be alone and not need you, despite what people believe. But at the same time, I didn't want to leave you because you're my best friend. You're the other half of my soul, Yami. How could I leave you? But then when you and Tea announced that you were going to start dating, I could feel the stares people had on me like I was going to wilt and fade now that you were going to live your life on your own with someone else. I hated that."

Yami kept silent as he listened to Yugi. He saw his hikari's fists form and shake then relax in a few seconds. The former spirit didn't realize that people still expected Yugi to depend on him. Yami always felt like he was the one clinging on Yugi, always depending on him. The Mutou family had always been nice and accommodating for him. They enrolled him to Yugi's school, gave him clothes, and a roof over his head. He could afford living alone with the money he had but he couldn't leave Yugi. Hell, he couldn't even sleep alone with the lights off for the first month he had his own body. He wanted to sleep beside Yugi's warmth with the lights on so he knew that he wasn't trapped in the Shadow Realm anymore. And Yugi never complained about it. In Yami's perspective, _he_ was the one depending on Yugi not the other way around.

"I finally decided that I was going to the trip so I could prove to people that I can be on my own. But then I was also scared after I told everyone. I was especially scared that you would ask me to stay so I closed the link off. I needed people to know that I was capable of independence But if you asked me to stay, I would." Finally Yugi looked up at Yami to see a soft his face. He didn't look like he was mad or hurt. He was just smiling.

"You went to see the world so you could find yourself. Be Yugi Mutou without the spirit of the puzzle be the most defining feature about you," Yami said. He saw Yugi nod and close his eyes.

Somehow, at the back of his mind, that corner of his mind he hadn't used in such a long time, Yami felt that all too familiar warm sensation. He looked straight into Yugi's eyes and that's when he realized it.

Their mind link was open.

And for the nth time today, Yami flung himself to Yugi to wrap his arms around him. Nothing felt more comforting than the warmth he felt when he felt Yugi's presence in his mind just like when they used to share a body. It was something he never really did get over since their separation. His eyes may be closed, but he could feel the warm light surrounding him and he never wanted to leave the confines of this room ever again.

Yami was careful not to let it slip through the mind link about his little talks with Ryou and Bakura. He didn't need Yugi to know that he was slowly realizing that maybe he really was in love with his light since he was scared that Yugi might distance himself from Yami. Besides, Yami wasn't certain with his feelings towards Yugi, but he did feel a magnetic pull towards him. He needed time to think about it. Just like in duels, he needed to think first before making sudden moves that could backfire due to his carelessness.

* * *

 **A/N: So this went up later than I'd like. I was writing and writing that I realized I was actually writing the third chapter now and I just completely forgot that I haven't posted the second chap yet. So yeah, Yugi is back and this chapter is just about what happened to him all those years. Next chapter is almost done which is fun! But don't expect it to be up soon because work is eating up most of my time right now, but I plan on finishing this fic soon.**


	3. The Flirtation Game

With Yugi back in Domino, Yami and grandpa has had their hands full with the number of customers coming into the shop just to get a glimpse of the KOG himself. And Yami got to see Yugi's powers of charm in action whenever there was a customer that belonged in their age bracket stepped in. He would put on this different persona by tying his hair and talk to the customers with such charisma that made grandpa chuckle and Yami weak at the knees. If Bakura and Ryou could see him now, they would be snickering like crazy by now. There were some foreigners who would come into the shop and converse with Yugi, and Yami has decided that Yugi sounded absolutely alluring when he spoke in English to customers.

Aside from the many customers, the game shop had a frequent visitor which was Tea. The girl kept coming to the game shop to listen to Yugi's stories or help out. It wouldn't bother Yami at the slightest, not all, if Tea didn't hog Yugi's attention so much. The former spirit couldn't help but grumble silently whenever Tea would come into the shop during their lunch break and steal Yugi from him. The only silver lining was that she eventually leaves when the shop closes and Yami had Yugi's attention at night when they both shared a room.

Of course, that didn't mean Yami wasn't capable of finding other ways to get Yugi to put attend to him instead of Tea.

One day in particular, Tea had visited the game shop while they were listing down their inventory of new shipments. There were more games shipped to the shop than usual since Yugi also talked to different game manufacturers to supply them with new games for the shop while he was on his travels. Yugi worked the computer while Yami carried the boxes in the stockroom and rearranged the display cases. Tea was at the counter talking to Yugi while he worked.

"Oh wow, Yugi, how did you convince companies abroad to supply the shop with their games?" she asked as she looked through the new boxes on the counter that Yugi was tagging.

"Well, some of the manufacturers were clients of Pegasus and they would show us the plants where they made the games. I'd tell them about the game shop and how my grandfather was an avid gamer and card shark back in his day. They were usually impressed with how the shop still sold old school games that they also wanted to have their games sold at the shop. I just need to send them a report on how well their games are being sold here." Yugi replied without looking away from the monitor. "Actually, some of the manufacturers wanted my honest opinion on their new boardgames that they would send one copy over here for me or grandpa to play and we'll send our review about it."

"So, Yugi, tell me about the flings you've had over the years," Tea asked, changing the topic.

Just in the other room, Yami was carefully listening to whatever Yugi would say. This was something he hadn't thought to ask his aibou about. He really had no idea how to ask it in context. Tea was more blunt with her questions.

"Well, they were nice. It helps when you feel lonely in one place, you can't help but feel close with someone else. But I make it a point to not feel too much or the separation when I have to leave will hurt too much for me," Yugi answered.

"Yeah but what were they like? Say the one girl you had a fling with. What was she like? What made you have a fling with her?" Tea pushed.

"Oh. Well, her name's Eliza. I met her in America. New York City to be exact. I stayed there for almost three months actually. We were together for two. She was a girl studying at a different university but she was my neighbor at the apartment building I was staying at. She was really sweet and a bit forward which was kinda weird but nice." Yugi still had his eyes glued to the screen as he told his story.

"What was it about her that made you like her?"

This question made Yami stop working to listen carefully.

Finally, Yugi looked away from his computer to look knowingly at Tea. He hummed for a bit before speaking. "She was the first person I met in America that didn't see me as a helpless foreigner. She brought a lot of confidence out since I was a little timid being alone in a foreign country. America was the first country Pegasus sent me to. Eliza took me on a tour of the city and she helped me adapt to a new place. We spent a lot of time together and I started to like her a lot. She was very adventurous and smart. I loved spending time with her that our fling just happened naturally. We both knew that we won't be together for long so we just enjoyed being with each other until the week before I had to leave."

"Why a week?"

He shrugged. "She was off to California to follow her dream. Aside from being adventurous, she was also ambitious. I helped her get the scholarship for a culinary school in California. A few weeks before I have to go, she got the acceptance letter and an invitation for a campus tour. We had a talk and we both agreed that it was time for us to break up. We didn't promise to reconnect and continue where we left off if we saw each other since we both know that we had different priorities. So we said goodbye and the next time I saw her was a year after and we're just friends now."

"What was it like seeing her again?" Tea leaned forward trying to make eye contact with Yugi who seemed to have his head in the clouds.

Yugi blinked when he realized Tea's face was so close to him that he pulled back in surprise. "It was okay. We both have moved on so it was just like meeting an old friend and not an old lover."

Tea bit her lip as she thought of her next move. "So, Yugi, it's almost lunch time. Wanna go out to eat?"

"Oh sure, Tea. Let me just tell Yami," Yugi replied. Whenever Tea invited Yugi out for lunch, he always asks Yami if he wanted to come along. But Yami always insisted that someone has to look over the shop so he would decline. There were also times that Tea just wanted to talk Yugi privately whenever she had problems she only confided with Yugi. So ever since then, when Tea would invite him out to lunch, he would only tell Yami he was going out and will be back later in the day.

At Tea's invitation, Yami moved quickly and knocked the tower of boxes over him and fell on his butt, with his head hitting the shelf behind him. "Ow," he groaned too loudly so the people in the other room could hear him.

"Yami?" Yugi rushed towards the stockroom to see the former pharaoh on the ground and rubbing the back of his head. A big box was on his lap while the rest of the boxes were cluttered around him. Yugi walked over to his friend and cradled his head in his arms. "What happened over here?"

Yami groaned more at his desperation and stupidity rather than the pain he was currently feeling. Something he discovered was that Yugi eventually drops everything and comes to him when he knows Yami's in distress. Now, every time Tea wanted to have Yugi alone, Yami had to find a way to injure himself and make his condition known to his hikari. It wasn't the smartest idea he's ever come up with, and he also felt manipulative doing it too, but he couldn't think of another way to avoid Tea from getting Yugi alone for too long.

"Hey, Yami, can you get up?" Yugi asked as he took off the box on top of Yami. "Here." He offered his hand that the former spirit took and helped him get up. Yugi put his arm around Yami's waist and hook Yami's arm around his shoulders for support. "You know, if you needed help, you should've told me," Yugi scolded lightly.

"Sorry, aibou. I was trying to speed up my stacking and I bumped on the boxes, then all hell broke loose," Yami chuckled. Yugi led him to the chair at the counter and Yugi cupped his cheek to check on him.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "You always have to go above and beyond what you're capable of. You're not a living god anymore," he joked. "Are you dizzy? Does it hurt anywhere?" he asked, completely ignoring blue eyes looking at him.

Of course Yami was delighted that Tea was now forgotten and Yugi had his full attention on him. "I hit my head on the shelf. A little disoriented but I'm fine, aibou." He started to stand up but grunted and sat back down. Bakura will be laughing his ass off at how terrible his acting was but he was thankful that Yugi was believing it.

"Oh no, pharaoh. You sit back down." Yugi pursed his lips then finally turned to Tea. "I think I'm going to have to take a rain check on that lunch, Tea. I need to make sure Yami doesn't kill himself trying to work." Yugi glared slightly at Yami who was about to stand up again.

Tea pouted but let it slide. "Alright, Yugi. I'll see you later tonight alright?"

"Yup. We'll meet you guys at the bar."

"Bye, Yugi!" Tea waved then winked at him before leaving.

When Tea finally left Yugi turned to Yami, "How about we switch jobs today? I stack the games and you work the computer?"

Yami nodded and as Yugi turned to disappear in the stockroom, he sighed in relief and mentally berated himself at how stupid and manipulative he was being. But at least he was able to stop Tea now. The only thing he has to worry about now is what will happen tonight at the bar where alcohol was involved. Tea had more of an advantage over him, and that needed to change soon.

* * *

To celebrate Yugi's birthday, they had all decided to go out to a bar and have drinks, Yugi suspected it was Marik and Malik's scheme to get him to show everyone how he flirts with some random stranger. He let it slide and made sure not to drink too much to fall into their plans. Mai was passing by along with Valon, Alister, and Rafael just to celebrate with them and Yugi was grateful for that but it also made him a little self conscious with himself since he hasn't seen the rest of his friends. He was now in his room staring at his closet, not thinking about what to wear, but just thinking about being around his friends again. He was mostly around Tea and Yami, he rarely saw Joey since he's busy with professional dueling. Tristan was busy with working at his father's factory. Now, they get to hang out together for his birthday.

When Yami knocked on his bedroom door to ask if he was ready, he jumped slightly but said he was almost ready and he went and dug his clothes out from his closet. He wore a simple charcoal black button down shirt and some tan dress pants. He searched through his dresser for his usual accessories of his choker, wrist cuffs, and then grabbed the last accessory from his desk, a cartouche necklace with his name on it, a gift from Yami for his birthday. He got down first before Yami did and was already putting on his shoes when his darkness slowly descended from the stairs.

Yami wore a maroon shirt and black leather pants. He had a simple gold stud earring on his right ear, and to complete the look, he wore Yugi's gift for him around his neck. The former pharaoh took note of how Yugi was ogling him and smirked. He walked over to Yugi and dropped his voice an octave when he spoke. "You look dashing tonight, aibou," he practically purred his name for Yugi and was proud of himself when he saw Yugi visibly shiver.

"You look swell yourself, Yami," Yugi replied, a bit out of breath. Once he recovered, he put his shoes on and opened the door. "Can I drive?" he asked with a cheeky smile.

Yami raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you know how to drive a car?"

"I know the mechanics of it," Yugi replied with a shrug.

"No. Besides, I doubt you even have a license to drive a car."

"Well, I do have a license. But it's for driving a motorcycle."

Yami unlocked the car and got in the driver seat, then Yugi got into the passenger seat. "You drive a motorcycle?" Yami asked as he started the car.

Yugi nodded proudly. "Well, I usually got around place through public transport or when Pegasus would have a driver take me to a place. When I went to Europe, though, I figured I should learn how to drive a motorcycle so I can get around much quicker."

"Not to mention it earns your charm points for when you flirt with people," Yami joked.

The other male rolled his eyes. "What? Jealous?" he teased as he lightly punched his darkness's arm. "Not all of us can charm any person they wanted with a curl of their finger like you can, _pharaoh_."

"It is considered rude and even punishable by law to say no to the pharaoh, aibou," Yami smirked. "Besides, which one of us the player now huh?"

Yugi scoffed, "I am not a player, let's get that straight." He chuckled then rolled his eyes. He was seriously considering whacking Marik and Malik at the head for making him sound like a player. "But back to the driving part. Can you teach me to drive? I mean, I did try driving a sportscar back in America, but I don't think I want a repeat of what happened."

"Oh? And what, pray tell, happened?"

"I kept stalling the car. It was so embarrassing," Yugi blushed lightly but it wasn't noticeable in the dark. "We can do it tomorrow since it's both our day off. You can teach me to drive a car and I can teach you how to drive a motorcycle. If you teach me to drive, I'll teach you how to dance."

"Alright then. But first, we need to survive tonight. Looks like Malik and Marik picked a karaoke place tonight," Yami pointed at the establishment and it looked like an upscaled version of the karaoke bar Yugi was once forced to go to all those years ago by Sozoji. He looked over at Yugi and elbowed him lightly. "Don't worry, aibou. If some wannabe singer tries to torture you into listening to them sing, I can still save you." He winked at Yugi and wa rewarded by a cute blush from his hikari before he exited the vehicle.

The bar had a long line but, one of the perks of being friends with Seto Kaiba, Yami and Yugi went up to the bouncer and checked if they were on the guest list. As expected, they were not only on the guest list, but they were under the Platinum VIP list.

Yugi shook his head at the bouncer's announcement. "I have a feeling, Kaiba made up that list just so he could be separated from ass kissers and inappropriate flirtings from other people."

"Most likely," Yami replied as they were led to a private room where their friends were waiting.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone greeted as they entered the room.

Joey, Tea, and Tristan was holding a chocolate cake with sparklers on it and held it out for Yugi to blow. They sang Happy Birthday and Yugi blew out the candles on the cake. He was greeted by a lot of his friends which was overwhelming for him but fun.

Eventually, everyone settled down and took a seat around the room. Joey and Kaiba were at the couch. Bakura and Ryou were at the smoking area, Mai, Duke, Tristan, and Serenity were having drinks by the bar. Marik and Malik were drinking and looking through a song book.

The private karaoke room looked like it could fit double their number. There was a big television at the front of the room, some couches and coffee tables. There was a small bar the right side of the room that also has a small control box beside it. A girl with black hair with blonde streaks tied up in a high ponytail approached the two tricolor-haired males.

"Hey, my name's Miya, I'm your waitress tonight. Happy birthday, by the way. Can I take your drink orders?" She wore a sapphire blue shirt, fitted black pants, and black boots.

"They'll both have a beer and I'll have screwdriver," Tea answered for them from behind. She raised an eyebrow at the server who just smiled politely and went to the bar to get their drinks.

The three sat down to where their friends are and Joey poked Tea playfully.

"Ease up on our bartender, Tea. Seto asked for her specifically because not only is she the most professional staff here, she's also a lesbian who is in a very stable relationship with the technician over there." Joey pointed his thumb over to a girl with shoulder length red hair and glasses who was fiddling at the control booth. "Her name is Tara. Sweet gal. She's taking music theory while Miya is taking hospitality management. They part time here at the bar for extra cash." Miya walked over to the technician and kissed her cheek before giving a remote thing to her. The technician returned the kiss on the cheek and Miya walked back to the bar to deliver the drinks.

"Two beers and a screwdriver," she smiled sweetly at the group of friends. She looked over to Kaiba, "Mr. Kaiba, I do hope you and your friends enjoy yourselves here. As usual, it's an open bar, there's a smoking room and your own bathroom. Should you want to request a song, you may approach our lovely technician and my lover, Tara. Oh and if you want additional mood when you sing, just ask Tara. She can add lights and smoke for effects." She chuckled when she saw how some of her patrons' eyes light up.

"I'm glad to see you behind the bar, Miya," Kaiba nodded at the girl.

"Well, it was your recommendation that got me here," she bowed before going back to the bar.

"Recommendation?" Yugi asked.

Kaiba shrugged. "She used to be a bouncer here. She was able to swat the flirty waitresses from Joey and I and she covered for the usual bartender, that I told the owner that she be put in the VIP rooms since she's more professional."

"And aside from making amazing drinks, she's a party starter. Her lover over there, Tara, she's the silent type, but she makes awesome lights effects when people sing," Joey added excitedly.

Marik and Malik then jumped up. "Speaking of parties, let's start the singing shall we?" Malik asked excitedly.

Surprisingly enough, Malik enjoyed singing so much, also Joey that they usually hogged the mic and went back and forth singing songs. Yugi camped by the bar telling stories with Serenity and Tea and sometimes they would listen to Miya's stories. Yami sat casually at a couch, his eyes trained at Yugi.

"You know," Bakura started as he wrapped an arm around Yami's shoulders. "Green is a good color on you, oh benevolent pharaoh."

"I second that," Marik added as he took the seat next to Yami.

"Not now, you two," Yami rolled his eyes. His right eye slightly twitched when he saw Tea run her finger along Yugi's arm.

The two yamis sniggered. "You know, it's obvious that Tea has the hots for your hikari. I mean, not only is he the sweet innocent soul that he was when they were in high school. But now he has the confidence and sex appeal that you have. So he's basically what Tea really wanted," Bakura said.

"Does it bother you that Yugi's been with other people?" Marik asked with a smirk. "Well, if I were you, you better do something about this before you lose him to the one person he's been pining over since forever."

"That's just it. Why should I stop that if she's the one he wants?" Yami argued, his voice a little hushed so the others wouldn't be able to hear.

"That would be true if Yugi still looked at Tea's way," Marik shrugged and downed his bottle of beer. "Yugi hasn't exactly shown interest in Tea in any way."

"Please tell me you're not scared of rejection that's why you're not doing anything," Bakura muttered rolling his eyes.

"No. It's not rejection I'm most scared of, although I'm still scared of it. I just don't know how to go around saying it. How do you start that conversation?" Yami asked, a little frustrated.

"Well, you can start with flirting. That's always fun," Marik gave a big toothy smile as he wagged his eyebrows.

"I don't even know how to flirt." Yami looked.

"Well you better learn now, because Tea looks like she's a pro." Bakura pointed at the brunette who was whispering at Yugi's ear and had her body curved towards him.

"Is that a blowjob?" Ryou pointed as he took a seat on his yami's lap.

Yami looked over and Tea was holding a shot glass on her lap with Yugi trying to bend over and grab the shot with his mouth. Everyone started howling at the show. Even Bakura and Marik joined in by howling the loudest. Yugi opened his mouth and wrapped it around the shot glass. When he got a proper hold of it, he sat back on his sit gulping the shot. A bit of cream dribbled by the side of his cheek and when he set the shot glass on the table, his little pink tongue licked the side of his cheek. Now that little show entertained Yami and his mind immediately went to the gutter.

"If looks could fuck, your little look-alike would already be curled into a ball with his feet on either side of your head," Miya joked as she put down Yami's next glass of vodka martini. Yami looked away from Yugi and met the piercing cobalt blue eyes of Miya. He glared at the bartender and she only flinched slightly. "Chill, man. I'm actually on your team. I see the way you guys look at each other when the other isn't looking. Gods, you guys are ridiculous."

Marik and Bakura couldn't help but let out a laugh at Miya's comment. "So, Miya, our little friend here doesn't know how to flirt. Do you have any pointers?" Ryou asked.

Miya tilted her head at the side and looked knowingly at Yami. "To be honest, I don't know how to flirt sexily without a little bit of alcohol in my system. Or at least, I don't know that I'm flirting when I'm actually just nice to people. But to beat the blowjob shot move, you're going to need a sexier shot than that." She giggled evilly. Her cobalt blue eyes almost glowed maliciously as the gears in her head turned. "But we're going to need mood music and someone to initiate it."

"I got that covered," Marik announced. "Babe!" he called over to Malik, who was dancing as Joey sang Moves Like Jagger. Malik bounced then dove to Marik's lap. "We are planning on helping the pharaoh flirt with Yugi."

"Finally!" Malik exclaimed clapping his hands. "What are we doing?"

Miya whispered in Malik's ear and the other got to watch as Malik's face slowly turned into a very malicious smirk that they thought only Marik was capable of. Malik whispered in Marik's ear about the plan and now they were both wearing twin smirks.

"Miya, you are a genius!" Malik exclaimed. He ran to the bar pulling the bartender and his lover towards the bar.

"Lover!" Miya called over Tara and she wrapped her arms around her then whispered in her ear. Tara nodded then readied the song.

A familiar song started and Malik grabbed the mic from Joey to start singing with Marik.

 _So we back in the club_

 _Get that bodies rocking from side to side (side to side)_

Tea and Serenity jumped up and joined the two platinum blonds to start dancing. Joey had, miraculously pulled Seto towards the dancefloor with Mai and Valon. Ryou had pulled Bakura from the couch and before they left for the dancefloor he had a few parting words for Yami.

"We'll try to keep Tea away from Yugi as much as possible so you can make the moves on him. Just don't screw it up." The white-haired male winked at Yami then pulled his lover towards the dancefloor.

 _Thank God the week is done_

 _I feel like a zombie gone back to life (back to life)_

Miya had suddenly appeared in front of Yami with a tray containing a shot glass of clear liquid, a salt shaker, and a lime wedge. "A little foreshadowing and liquid courage," she said as she dropped the tray down in front of him. "Have a bit of salt before taking the shot. Then after the shot, take a bite of the lime." She looked over her shoulder briefly then smirked at Yami. "Do it now, coz your little _corazon_ is on his way over here." She turned around and left, revealing that Yugi was walking slowly over to where Yami was.

Without thinking, Yami did what he was told and he felt tingling at his fingertips when the tequila hit his system. He hated tequila. Searching through the dim blinking lights, he cast a quick glare at Miya who was smirking in amusement at him as she poured drinks for Alister and Raphael. Yami finally lay his eyes at Yugi who was smiling sweetly at him as he offered his hand at the former pharaoh.

"Care to dance?" Yugi asked.

 _Hands up, and suddenly we all got our hands up_

 _No control of my body_

 _Ain't I seen you before?_

 _I think I remember those eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes_

Maybe it was because of the rapidly blinking lights. Maybe it was the tequila in his bloodstream. Or maybe it was Yugi's shining eyes. Or maybe it was because Yugi was the one asking him. Whatever it was, it was enough to make Yami agree to be led to the dancefloor and dance. Yugi put Yami's hands around his neck while he put his hands on Yami's hips to guide him through the music. He swayed Yami's hips to the beat of the song and made sure to squeeze his darkness's hip in encouragement.

"I told you that I'd teach you how to dance right?" Yugi reminded Yami. "Just relax and move with me."

 _'Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

 _Yeah, baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

 _So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life_

 _Gonna get you right_

 _'Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

Yami was even surprised with himself when he found himself gyrating against Yugi, his hands already at Yugi's waist while Yugi hooked his arms around Yami's neck. Crimson red eyes were glued onto glimmering amethysts. The former spirit was actually impressed with himself since he was absolutely sure that he couldn't dance. Tea had pushed him to dance with her multiple times and yet he still stepped onto the brunette's feet as he swayed awkwardly. But with Yugi, he kept constant eye contact and he could feel himself smiling and enjoying himself.

Somehow, despite the amount of skin their clothes covered, Yami could feel the little dips and dents of Yugi's muscles as his hands started to wander boldly while they moved together. He could feel his pants tightening. His mind was a bit in a daze, he blamed the damn tequila shot for that. But really, he will also blame the fact that Yugi was against his at the moment and the delicious friction was messing with his brain. He was a bit thankful that the song slowed down as it went to the next verse.

 _Keep downing drinks like there's no tomorrow there's just right now, now, now, now, now, now_

 _Gonna set the roof on fire_

 _Gonna burn this motherfucker down, down, down, down, down, down_

 _Hands up, when the music drops_

 _We both put our hands up_

 _Put your hands on my body_

 _Swear I seen you before_

 _I think I remember those eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes_

He could feel Yugi's encouragement through the mind link. He sent his nervousness back but he showed a warm smile of enjoyment on his face. He hadn't had much fun in a club in so long, honestly, he never really did like being in a club. But here, he was having fun and just dancing and laughing with Yugi while Malik and Marik would sing in the background. Yami could feel his cheeks warm at how intimately close he was with Yugi, but then it was kinda ridiculous to be embarrassed about the fact that they were so close, since they still slept in the same bed together. Yami's heart started to race as the tempo of the song quickened again when it went back to the chorus.

 _'Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

 _Yeah, baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

 _So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life_

 _Gonna get you right_

 _'Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again_

At some point, Yami just wanted to stay in this moment forever. He had never felt so free with Yugi like this. Just dancing carelessly, the multiple flashing lights shimmering Yugi's pale features, his amethyst eyes glowing under the dim lighting. It was perfect. They were still moving as the song ends and Yami was starting to lighten up and still entranced at the fact that Yugi's attention was all on him. Of course he still felt nervous since he was absolutely sure that Yugi could feel his boner right now. If he can't then he is thankful for the very tight and restricting leather pants that was making it very painful for him right now.

"BODY SHOTS!" Marik and Malik announced from the bar. When in the hell did they get there?

But right after their announcement, another round of howls came and Malik almost immediately took his shirt off.

Miya went and cleaned the bar top so Malik could lie down. Yami and Yugi were pushed towards the bar by Ryou and Bakura, and as promised, Ryou was taking Tea far away from Yugi. Everyone hollered as Marik set up the body shot. He sprinkled a little salt around Malik's belly and placed a shot of tequila by Malik's crotch. Yami remembered how to take a tequila shot since e did it a while ago. This must be Miya's plot of "beating" Tea's blojob shot. He cast a wary glance at Yugi. He could face demon gods that forced him to face three thousand years worth of torture by the shadows, he faced certain death too many times for a single lifetime, but he cannot, for the life of him, flirt with Yugi. He went back to watching Marik just in time to see the yami take his time licking his hikari's belly then grab the shot glass using his lips to pick up the shot glass to take the shot. Once Marik downed his shot, he dipped his head and kissed Malik who had a lime wedge in his lips. After a few seconds, Marik already had the lime wedge in his lips and threw his fists in the air as if he just won a competition.

Malik put his shirt back on and jumped back down from the table so he could grab Marik and kiss him hard. The couple walked over as Joey blatantly pushed Seto to lie down on the bar for his shot. Seto just simply opened a few more buttons on the top of his shirt and exposed his neck and collar. Miya gave Seto the lime wedge and shot glass to Seto while Joey put the salt on Seto's collar. As the couple prepare for the body shot, Miya walked over to Yami which removed him from the show.

"You better take that body shot first before that girl gets it or else I don't know which shot will beat a body shot," she said with a hushed voice. "Let me give you an advice though," she started with a smirk. "A body shot is sexy because of how you take it, now all you have to do to make it sexier is make the experience different and risque."

Joey licked Seto's neck and gently sucked on it, making sure to get all of the salt and tickle Seto at the same time. Seto had his legs spread and put the shot glass on the table space between his thighs and Joey dipped his head to pick up the shot with his lips. He tipped his head back to gulp down the shot then he took the lime from Seto. The next couple to take a body shot was Bakura and Ryou. Bakura lifted Ryou's shirt and lowered his pants slightly so he could put salt on Ryou's hip. Instead of putting the drink on a shot glass, he had the tequila poured on Ryou's belly button, which was, according to Miya, the right way to take that shot. Bakura sucked on the salt instead of licking it, then sucked on the tequila from Ryou's bellybutton which made the hikari squirm and for the finally, he attacked Ryou's mouth as he also got the lime wedge.

Of course every alcohol-dazed person in the room cheered for them.

When Yami saw Tea walking over towards their direction, he acted fast and pulled Yugi towards the bar and announced that they were going next.

"Uhh...Yami?" Yugi asked a bit nervously as he was being led to lie down on the bar. He sat on the bar top and one look from Yami made him blush red as he was ordered to take his shirt off through the mind link. He took his shirt off and lay down on the bar, and was surprised when Yami climbed over the bar and was suddenly on top of him on all fours with the salt shaker.

"I kinda like more salt," Yami said as he dipped his head down and licked a line from Yugi's chest down to just a couple of inches above his belly button. Yami sprinkled the salt on the line he drew with his saliva, then he blew on the line to remove some of the excess. Yugi shivering deliciously beneath him will seriously give him something to dream about tonight. Once he was satisfied he got off the table top to move to the other side so he was now facing an upside down Yugi. He motioned Miya to pour his shot on Yugi's bellybutton and taking a lime wedge in his mouth he bit it slightly and passed to Yugi's lips. He couldn't hear the crowd squealing and cheering them on since he was on a mission to turn on Yugi and make him light-headed with arousal. With one last wink at his blushing hikari, Yami licked the salt carefully from Yugi's chest until the end of the line he made, taking a longer time than usual and reveling over the fact that he could make Yugi squirm deliciously with his actions. He really hated the taste of tequila, but he was going to enjoy swirling his tongue teasingly around Yugi's belly button before sucking the demonic liquid from it, blissfully aware that his crotch was just mere inches away from Yugi's face. Yami went back to Yugi's lips and took the lime quickly since he could feel Yugi dying of embarrassment now.

Yugi was dazed and suddenly his heart was beating so much as he rode the adrenaline rush from the slight foreplay he just experienced from Yami. As he put on his shirt, he didn't button them down since he was too busy securing Yami on the bar and straddling his waist. He was smirking at the surprised expression on Yami's face. He took the lime wedge and shoved it in Yami's mouth and licked a nice long line from the base of Yami's neck until behind his ear then sprinkled the salt. He then took the shot glass of tequila and began licking the salt off slowly. And once his work was done, he took the shot then tipped Yami's head back by pulling his hair slightly then take his time getting the lime wedge from the former pharaoh's lips.

When he got down from Yami's lap, he buttoned his shirt back up again and looked at his friends who were either laughing or cheering them on. At corner of his eye, he saw Yami a bit disoriented from what just happened and he couldn't help but smirk proudly that he could make Yami react that way.

Yami had no idea what just happened. First he was getting over basically giving oral foreplay on Yugi, the next thing he knew, the same Yugi was suddenly on his lap licking his neck thoroughly. He didn't even bother watching the others take body shots he just spaced out and sat at the one stool at the end of the bar beside the control box.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself," a female voice said.

He turned to the direction of the voice and was greeted by Tara's olive green eyes behind square-framed glasses. Her short red hair a little disarrayed since the night has been stressful for her from the constant demands of songs from mostly Malik and Joey.

At Yami's silence, Tara giggled. "Miya told me about your whole situation," she shrugged.

"I'm not sure if he likes me or is it because of the alcohol, to be honest. I mean when you have alcohol in your system you will do things you won't usually do and most of them you'll regret…" he trailed off. Ra forbid Yugi regret that exchange they had in front of their friends.

"Are you drunk yet?"

"Well, no. But-"

"Do you think the birthday boy is drunk?"

"I only saw him sip on a beer and nothing else."

"So I don't think he's not drunk enough yet to do 'regretful' things," she said with a triumphant smile. "Just use the heat the alcohol provided you to flirt with him. The little buzz will help with your courage."

"But he's so different now. He's more confident and sure of himself now than when we first met. How do I go around that?"

"Well, you know, I was the one who instigated the relationship with Miya."

This perked Yami's interest. "You did? I always thought-"

"That Miya was the one that asked me out first? Nope. People always suspected that," Tara shook her head and giggled again. "Miya and I were best friends before we started dating. We grew up together. She knew she was a lesbian when we were ten while I was still struggling to come out when I was sixteen. But when I had gotten around into coming out of the closet, she was there to help me. I liked the attention she gave me to the point that I became jealous when there were so many girls flirting with her. That was the time that I realized I was in love with her." She looked longingly at the raven-haired girl pouring drinks.

"What made you ask her out?" Yami inquired.

"She was a player, you know? Jumping from one girlfriend to another. The only constant girl in her life was me. But then there was this girl who came along and things started to get serious between them. So I started to try and be more touchy with Miya. I flirted with her, block every chance of her being with the other woman until I finally gained the guts to tell her how I feel about her and to ask her out." She then sighed contently at the memory. "I went over to her house and was happy to find that she was alone. If the girl she was dating was there, I might've chickened out or something. I brought her flowers and told her that I had feelings for her then I finally asked her out. She said yes." Tara gave Yami a soft smile then motioned him to look at Yugi who was laughing alongside Miya and the rest of their friends. "It took me almost losing her to actually get the guts to tell her how I feel. I didn't care anymore if she would reject me. She needed to know how I feel. But thankfully, she felt the same way."

"What happened to the other girl?" Yami asked, his eyes drifting over to Tea who still had her eyes glued to Yugi.

"Well, Miya isn't exactly the type to beat around the bush so she just let the girl down easy." She looked over her station to change a song. "You want some tips?" she offered.

Yami tore his gaze from his friends who were back to dancing and drinking to look at the red-haired DJ. "I need all the help I can get. I can duel circles around anyone but thinking up a strategy to ask Yugi out. And you can't get a magic card to do that," he joked.

"When you spend some alone time with him, try to full-on flirt with him. Make him blush as much as possible. It's very satisfying. Also, it'll make him think about your actions more. And when you're with other people, make sure to only be friendly and not flirty. No need to give him mixed signals."

"Speaking from experience?"

Tara nodded. "Miya is such a friendly girl that you don't know if she's being sweet to you or she's just like that for everyone. Even she doesn't realize she's flirting with someone."

"Well Yugi and I have a different type of friendship. It's kinda hard to explain but we're very close. We've been through a lot together."

"Hey, as long as you guys aren't related by blood, I don't see why you can't be together."

Suddenly, arms encircled Tara's waist which made the redhead jump.

"Hello, lover," Miya purred in Tara's ear. "Are you sharing our love story to this poor unfortunate soul?" Miya raised an eyebrow at Yami playfully.

"Yes, beloved, I was, actually. He needed a little push so he could get the guy he wanted."

"You know, you should get the move on him as soon as possible before it's too late. I heard Tea was going to try and steal a kiss from him tonight," Miya said as she poked Yami's shoulder.

"And what do I have against her that will make Yugi choose me over her? She's everything he's ever wanted since I knew him."

"Well, maybe things have changed. Do you honestly want to live the rest of your life not knowing how he feels about you or how he would react if you told him?"

Yami shook his head. He could save his whole kingdom and suffer through the Shadow Realm for thousands of years but living the rest of his new lifetime suffering by not knowing how Yugi truly felt about him was something he knew he couldn't take.

"Where is he anyway?" Tara looked around behind Yami trying to look for the smaller tricolor-haired male.

"He must've gone to the bathroom or something," Miya shrugged. She then paused. "Oh no…" She motioned at Yami to turn around.

As the former pharaoh turned around to look at whatever Miya was looking at, his heart froze as he saw Tea pulling Yugi to the door outside. "Shit," he hissed as he jumped from his seat to hurry towards Yugi and Tea. He wasn't really sure about his end goal when he reached them but it was too late to stop himself that he bumped into Yugi and the impact sent them crashing down to the floor. Yami was fast enough that he turned them so he would get the brunt of the fall. The fell on the floor with an oof. When Yami finally opened his eyes, he was greeted with Yugi's confused amethyst eyes.

"You okay, Yami?" he asked, his voice full of concern. "Did you hit your head _again_?"

There was cackling behind Yugi and it was only then that the pair realized how compromising their position was. Yugi was nestled between Yami's legs while their torsos were touching and their lips just inches away from each other. The pair lushed and quickly scrambled off the floor so they could stand up again.

"You okay, aibou?" Yami asked as he rubbed the back of Yugi's head trying to feel a bump, although that would be silly seeing as Yugi's head was far away from the impact of their fall.

Yugi just rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Yami. How about you? Did you hit your head?"

Yami shook his head no. "I'm fine, aibou."

Before Yugi could ask, a very tipsy Marik but in. "You now, if you guys rolled around a few more times, then it'll be _really_ corny enough." His words were slurred and he ended up laughing at his own statement.

Malik pulled his yami away from the scene. "Okay. No more alcohol for you. I want to get laid tonight and you drunk is no fun." He dragged Marik to one of the couches and sat on his lap to keep him there.

"Hey, Yugi, can I talk to you alone for a bit?" Tea asked.

Thinking fast, Yami walked forward and tried to wobble in his step. He blinked rapidly and bent his knees only to be caught by Yugi.

"Whoa, Yami, you okay? I know you're not drunk yet." Yugi stared at Yami who was wincing and rubbing his temple. "Okay, you need to sit down." He looked over at Tea, "Sorry, Tea. Can we talk later? I think Yami hit his head." He guided Yami over the bar and made him sit on one of the bar stools. He waved at Miya over. "Hey, Miya, can I get some ice wrapped in a small towel? I think Yami's a bit disoriented from our fall."

Miya raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Sure, birthday boy." She turned to Tara, "Lover, tone down the blinking lights a bit. Yami's a bit disoriented." The DJ gave a thumbs up for her girlfriend and just played slower music and opened a portion of lights around the bar but it didn't disrupt the atmosphere of the main area. "Thanks, lover!" Miya said as she wrapped a few ice cubes in a clean hand towel. "Here you go, Yugi."

"Thanks, Miya. Can I also have a glass of water? Actually make that two. I need one too." Yugi got the cold bundle and gave it to Yami. "Don't you guys usually drink beer and wine back in Egypt before?" Yugi asked with a chuckle.

Yami ducked his head and closed his eyes. He was, in reality, perfectly fine. He just acted like he was disoriented so Yugi, with his constant need to help people in need, would put his attention on him. And judging from the soft chuckle he heard from the bartender, Miya wasn't fooled by his act. "They didn't invent vodka and tequila back in ancient Egypt." He didn't sound in pain and since now, Yugi had his full attention on him, maybe he could actually try and flirt. He peeked at Yugi with one eye and smiled. "My head hurts a bit. I guess I didn't feel it while you were on top of me. You can't really feel pain when you're all _excited_ and _full of adrenaline_." He smirked at his hikari and winked at him which resulted to Yugi blushing at his words. Yami ran his finger at Yugi's cheek and the hikari blushed harder. "You look divine with that blush, Yugi," he spoke with an octave lower.

Not used to Yami's forwardness, Yugi just blinked at him a few times.

Yami chuckled. "Oh? The confident playboy, Yugi Mutou, is speechless by little ol' me? I'm flattered, aibou." He finally sat a little straighter so he could lean closer to Yugi. "How about you try your flirting skills on me. But then again, you were already absolutely charming to me when we first met, _hikari_." Yami emphasized his last word with a low voice.

Blushing furiously, Yugi stared at Yami for a moment then raised an eyebrow. "Try my skills on you? Can you handle me, _Yami_?" He knew he could never lower his voice the way Yami can, so he purred in Yami's ear instead. He leaned forward slightly as if he was about to kiss Yami but as Yami leaned forward as well, he then slowly pulled back.

The other man leaned in closer until he lost his balance and almost fell forwards until he was able to catch himself. He looked up at Yugi who had an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. It was the first time ever that Yami felt like the shy one and Yugi was the confident one. If it weren't for his sun-kissed tan skin, Yugi would have noticed him blushing hard at being caught. Yami narrowed his eyes slightly. _Oh so he's going to play this way, huh?_ He needed some liquid courage first before he can pull this off. "Miya!" he called over the bartender over.

Miya was busy cuddling with Tara at the control booth but she heard Yami perfectly. She kissed Tara's cheek and went over to her station. "Can I take your order?"

"Give us the best shot you can whip up," Yami replied.

Yugi felt nervous at the shining eyes Miya suddenly had at Yami's request.

"Sure," the bartender replied simply. She quickly got two shot glasses and bottles upon bottles of drinks. The two tricolor-haired males missed whatever she poured into the shot glasses and they were just served something that looked like a four-seasons drink in a shot glass. "Enjoy," Miya chirped with a friendly smile as she proceeded with cleaning the tools she used quickly.

Yami and Yugi clinked glasses and down the pink shot quickly which was pleasantly fruity much to Yami's surprise. Yugi glared at the shot then glared at Miya. "This is a _weng weng_ shot isn't it?" he asked.

Miya shrugged. "Hey, Yami said to make the best shot. I for one, think that this is the best shot that's ever been invented." She giggled evilly and left them to tend to Joey and Seto.

"What's a _weng weng_ shot?" Yami asked. He suddenly felt the heat of the alcohol seeping through his system.

"It's a shot I discovered in the Philippines. Dangerous shot since it's sweet and fruity even though there's a lot of liquor in it that people keep downing them like it's nothing. Then the alcohol kicks in and you're just wasted." Yugi shook his head as he looked at the empty shot glass he just downed. "And I think Miya likes to make them extra strong."

Yami chuckled. "I still haven't gotten around the fact that you've seen the world. I'm actually quite jealous."

"I'll take you with me next time then," Yugi replied with a wink.

"Oh and meet the people you've seduced with your charms? No thank you," Yami retorted playfully.

Yugi smirked. "Is someone jealous?" He rested his chin on the ball of his palm and inched himself closer to Yami.

"I'm more jealous of every person you've charmed," Yami started as he lowered his voice again, "and kissed," he looked straight into Yugi's eyes as he spoke slowly, "and touched."

A little dazed, Yugi couldn't help but blush at the way Yami spoke to him. It was like the first time he's seen Yami. Sure he was aware of the pharaoh's soul inhabiting him, making him stronger and braver, but that first time he's seen Yami, he was dazzled by his confidence. He wanted to be that confident and ever since, he felt like Yami was his goal. He aimed to be as confident and strong as the pharaoh because he always thought that Yami was his future, that he would be what Yami is.

But as time flew by and the closer they became, things changed.

Feelings changed.

Meanwhile, Joey had calmed down and sat on the couch cuddling up to his boyfriend as he watched his best friend flirt with Yami.

"I was right," he said mostly to himself.

Kaiba hummed in acknowledgement. "About what, puppy?"

Joey kept his eyes at the two tri-color haired males at the bar. "On why Tea and Yami never worked out." They always had talks about the former couple when they were alone, mostly because Joey was always bothered by how his friends were always fighting. "I always knew that they were trying to replace Yugi with each other. Yugi was really the one they wanted in the first place and now that he's back," he trailed off.

"They're now going to to fight over him," Kaiba finished with a chuckle. "Are we going to expect a bloodbath?" he asked. He noted that Tea had been all over Yugi the whole night, even did a blowjob shot on him which was quite forward of her. He also had a good view of Yami and Yugi dancing. Yami looked like he was in a trance as he and Yugi moved together. The former spirit was enjoying the dance way too much, add the very suggestive body shot he did on Yugi, and Kaiba knew that Yami would do anything to get Yugi.

"Tea isn't one to back down," Joey commented. He eyed his friend who was talking to Mai at the other side of the room. The brunette would sometimes steal a few glances at Yugi's direction. "I heard that she's been visiting the game shop regularly to talk to Yugi. And we know how the pharaoh is."

"Who do you think Yugi would choose?" Kaiba asked.

Joey shrugged. "I don't know." He thought of his next sentence for a moment. "He used to have this thing for Tea, although it never really went anywhere. I'm not sure if he ever had a thing for Yami but they did share a body for a few years. We don't really know what they would talk about when they were alone." He looked over at the way Yami was just enthralled by Yugi as they talked. Joey took note of the fairly innocent touches Yami gave Yugi. "It's hard to tell who Yugi's into. He could be into Tea, but the way Yami and Yugi are right now, he could be into Yami as well."

"Do you have someone you want Yugi to end up with?"

"As long as my best bud is happy, then I won't be mad on whoever he chooses. And yes, this will be a bloodbath."

* * *

 **A/N: Oh yeah Chapter 3! Here's to hoping people who followed and favorited this story gets notified. I just had this issue with FF wherein I updated Are We Really Doing This and no one got notified. Huhu. Chapter 4 is the bloodbath and Chapter 5 is the conclusion. Oh gods I can't believe I'm about to finish this. Will this have a lemon? I don't plan to since I really just wanted to keep this as a light fic compared to my other fic which is still in progress. I'm not good with flirtation conversations so yeah I had to cheat and let the flirtation happen from afar. So what do you guys think so far? Please review and tell me what you guys expect from the bloodbath that's about to happen...I'm kinda blanking on how Tea and Yami will fight over Yugi so suggestions would be nice.**


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